Forfend
Definition
Example
"I work every time to forfend my wife from social evils."
"The kingâs men worked day and night to forfend attacks on the castle walls."
"They planned carefully to forfend any hidden danger caused by untrustworthy people of the group."
Explanation
Forfend is an old or formal word that means to protect something, or to prevent something bad from happening. You might see it in older books or formal writing, but itâs not used much in everyday speech today. It can be used like this: âHe prayed to forfend danger,â meaning he hoped to keep danger away. Sometimes people say âHeaven forfend!â which is another way of saying âGod forbid!â â they are hoping something bad doesnât happen. So, to forfend is to try to stop trouble before it starts or defend against harm.