warding (off)

verb

present participle of ward (off)
as in holding off

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for warding (off)
  1. deflecting
  2. turning away
  3. resisting
  4. turning back
  5. withstanding
  6. opposing
Verb
  • This gap, if unaddressed, sabotages growth by deflecting feedback, creating imbalanced traits, and causing behavioral drift under pressure, negatively impacting teams.
    — Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • Hitler escaped the full force of the blast when someone moved the briefcase next to a table leg, deflecting much of the explosive force.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 July 2026
Definition of deflecting
Verb
  • At present, prison abolitionists have demanded new conditions for addressing racial capital, turning away from the brutal system of punitive measures to a framework of racial repair.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 July 2026
  • Some are even turning away from other top-tier brands due to lack of transparency.
    — Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 26 July 2026
Definition of turning away
Verb
  • Also on Wednesday, Saudi Arabia struck Iranian proxies in Iraq, after months of resisting being pulled into the conflict.
    — Salma Arafa, CNN Money, 30 July 2026
  • Scott Lauck, a spokesperson for the office, said in an email Thursday that one of the juveniles was charged with two counts of misdemeanor assault, while the other was charged with one count of resisting arrest, also a misdemeanor.
    — Nathan Pilling July 30, Kansas City Star, 30 July 2026
Definition of resisting
Verb
  • Exhausted after turning back a Spain barrage in a scoreless draw to start this tournament, Vozinha released tears as memorable as Messi’s.
    — Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 20 July 2026
  • The front-9 and the beginning of the back-9 holes play mostly away from the coastline, but play moves back towards the Moray Firth on the par-4 13th, hugging the waterline for the 14th, 15th, and 16th holes before turning back towards the clubhouse.
    — Zach Schenfisch, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of turning back
Verb
  • The Swiss defense held its own, withstanding many Argentina chances and eventually taking the reigning champions to extra time.
    — Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
  • Natividad's great-great-great grandfather adapted and so did his descendants ‒ withstanding every new attempt to erase their language, culture or traditions.
    — Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 28 June 2026
Definition of withstanding
Verb
  • Venus and Saturn are opposing each other in your money houses (exact on August 21), which looks like possible buyer’s remorse, but will more likely show up in interpersonal contexts where the mutual exchange isn’t actually very mutual.
    — Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 July 2026
  • The Senate unanimously passed a resolution opposing a presidential pardon for Ghislaine Maxwell on Wednesday, putting itself on record against Jeffrey Epstein’s ex-girlfriend.
    — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 29 July 2026
Definition of opposing
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Warding (off).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/warding%20%28off%29. Accessed 1 Aug. 2026.

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