forfend

Meanings

verbforfend (third-person singular simple present forfends, present participle forfending, simple past and past participle forfended)

present singular third person forfends · participle present forfending · participle past forfended · past forfended

archaicTo prohibit; to forbid; to avert.
2008, Lew, short circuit operators, zbadnYZNaK6VM1zanZ2dnUVZ_r7inZ2d@comcast.com What? Multi-posting? Usenet Gods forfend!
2 more examples
Clown: … You would know where Lord Anthonie is? I perceiue you. Shall I ſay he is in yond farme houſe? I deceiue you. Shall I tell you this wine is for him? the gods forfend, and ſo I end. Go fellow fighters theres a bob for ye.
1594, Thomas Lodge, The Wounds of Civil War, act 4, scene 1, page 54
People have long given thought to the causes of danger and how they might be forfended.
2018, Steven Pinker, Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress, page 271

Synonyms & antonyms

verbprevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening; to protect from or to keep away anything undesirable; to ward off

Broader

prevent forestall foreclose

Also see

avert avoid debar deflect fend off head off obviate stave off ward off

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

Middle Englishforfenden“to ward off, protect, prohibit”
Englishforfend

From Middle English forfenden (“to ward off, protect, prohibit”), equivalent to for- + fend.

More words from Middle English

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian предотвратявам

предотвратявам (predotvratjavam)prohibit; forbid; avert

Czech odradit

odraditprohibit; forbid; avert

Dutch bewaren, verbieden

bewarenprohibit; forbid; avert
verbiedenprohibit; forbid; avert
behoedenprohibit; forbid; avert

German verbieten, verhindern

verbietenprohibit; forbid; avert
verhindernprohibit; forbid; avert

Polish uniemożliwiać, uniemożliwić

uniemożliwiaćprohibit; forbid; avert
uniemożliwićprohibit; forbid; avert
zakazywaćprohibit; forbid; avert
zakazaćprohibit; forbid; avert

Swedish förbjuda, avvärja

förbjudaprohibit; forbid; avert
avvärjaprohibit; forbid; avert
beskyddaprohibit; forbid; avert

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with forfend

send end friend recommend weekend spend attend trend extend tend depend blend bend amend defend intend suspend pretend lend append transcend contend comprehend offend

All rhymes →

Cite this entry

APA

forfend. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/forfend

MLA

“forfend.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/forfend. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “forfend,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/forfend.

Source: forfend on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.