fought off

VERB

defend oneself

Synonyms

WEAK

beat off bottle up check contain control curb fend off hold at bay hold back keep at bay oppose put up fight repel reply repress repulse resist restrain retaliate stave off ward off

Antonyms

WEAK

give in give up surrender yield

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

West Ham have fought off interest in striker Shekiera Martinez so far, while Leicester City have a few young players that might be heading out on loan.

From BBC • Feb. 3, 2026

Hlushko of Ukraine’s Separate Presidential Brigade said his unit fought off a typical Russian assault on Wednesday, destroying a couple of military vehicles as the Russians sought to take advantage of snowy weather.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025

In the span of just a few months, Google has fought off concerns that AI would kill its Search business and has transformed Gemini from a second-rate chatbot into a serious competitor to OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 22, 2025

De Minaur fought off two break points in the opening game of the semi-final but then failed to convert any of the three he carved out in Sinner's first service game.

From Barron's • Nov. 15, 2025

Johnson told viewers that the North Vietnamese attacks had been fought off, with no American casualties.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin