Meanings
fencing1
nounfencing (countable and uncountable, plural fencings)
plural fencings
- countableuncountableThe art or sport of duelling with swords, especially with the 17th- to 18th-century European dueling swords and the practice weapons descended from them (sport fencing).
The pair both want to touch each other, and indulge in a series of fencings and parryings in the hope of attaining their desire.
1973, Alan Dundes, Mother Wit from the Laughing Barrel, page 253 - countableuncountableMaterial used to make fences, fences used as barriers or an enclosure.
Fencing was erected around the field to keep the horses in.
- countableuncountableThe act of erecting fences, or enclosing within fences.
- countableslanguncountablecriminologyThe buying and receiving of stolen goods.
fencing2
verb
- gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of fence
Synonyms & antonyms
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
fencing · noun
- Middle Englishfensing
- Englishfencing
From Middle English fensing, equivalent to fence + -ing.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic مُبَارَزَة
- مُبَارَزَة (mubāraza)sport
Bulgarian фехто́вка, загражде́ние
- фехто́вка (fehtóvka)sport
- загражде́ние (zagraždénie)fences used as barriers or an enclosure
Catalan esgrima
- esgrimasport
Chinese Mandarin 擊劍 /击剑, 圍欄 /围栏
- 擊劍 /击剑 (jījiàn, jíjiàn)sport
- 圍欄 /围栏 (wéilán)fences used as barriers or an enclosure
Czech šerm
- šermsport
Danish fægtning
- fægtningsport
Dutch schermen, hekwerk
- schermensport
- hekwerkfences used as barriers or an enclosure
- helingreceiving or buying of stolen goods
Esperanto skermo
- skermosport
Estonian vehklemine
- vehkleminesport
Finnish miekkailu, aitatarpeet
- miekkailusport
- aitatarpeetmaterial used to make fences
- aitausfences used as barriers or an enclosure
French escrime, recel
- escrimesport
- recelreceiving or buying of stolen goods
German Fechten, Zaunfeld
- Fechtensport
- Zaunfeldmaterial used to make fences
- Absperrgittermaterial used to make fences
- Einzäunungfences used as barriers or an enclosure
- Hehlereireceiving or buying of stolen goods
Greek ξιφασκία
- ξιφασκία (xifaskía)sport
Hebrew סַיִף
- סַיִף (sayf)sport
Hindi बाड़, बाड़ा
- बाड़ (bāṛ)fences used as barriers or an enclosure
- बाड़ा (bāṛā)fences used as barriers or an enclosure
Hungarian vívás
- vívássport
Indonesian anggar
- anggarsport
Italian scherma, ricettazione
- schermasport
- ricettazionereceiving or buying of stolen goods
Japanese フェンシング
- フェンシング (fenshingu)sport
Korean 펜싱
- 펜싱 (pensing)sport
Latvian paukošana
- paukošanasport
Norwegian Bokmål fekting
- fektingsport
Persian شمشیربازی
- شمشیربازیsport
Polish szermierka
- szermierkasport
Portuguese esgrima, cerca
- esgrimasport
- cercamaterial used to make fences
- cercafences used as barriers or an enclosure
- recetaçãoreceiving or buying of stolen goods
- receptaçãoreceiving or buying of stolen goods
Romanian scrimă
- scrimăsport
Russian фехтова́ние, огражде́ние
- фехтова́ние (fextovánije)sport
- огражде́ние (ograždénije)fences used as barriers or an enclosure
- загражде́ние (zagraždénije)fences used as barriers or an enclosure
- огра́да (ográda)fences used as barriers or an enclosure
- забо́р (zabór)fences used as barriers or an enclosure
Slovak šerm
- šermsport
Spanish esgrima, cerca
- esgrimasport
- cercamaterial used to make fences
- valladofences used as barriers or an enclosure
- cercafences used as barriers or an enclosure
- receptaciónreceiving or buying of stolen goods
Swedish fäktning, inhägnad
- fäktningsport
- inhägnadfences used as barriers or an enclosure
Tagalog eskrima, kanluraning eskrima
- eskrimasport
- kanluraning eskrimasport
Tamil வாள்வீச்சு
- வாள்வீச்சு (vāḷvīccu)sport
Turkish eskrim, çit
- eskrimsport
- çitfences used as barriers or an enclosure
- parmaklıkfences used as barriers or an enclosure
Ukrainian фехтува́ння
- фехтува́ння (fextuvánnja)sport
Cite this entry
APA
fencing. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fencing
MLA
“fencing.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fencing. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fencing,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fencing.
Source: fencing on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.