Definition

1. Verb:
   • To prevent or avert something undesirable from happening: To take action to stop something harmful, dangerous, or unwanted from occurring. It often implies a proactive or defensive effort to ward off a threat.

Usage

• forfend is a formal and somewhat archaic verb. It is most commonly used in the phrase "Heaven forfend!" (or "God forfend!") as an exclamation expressing a strong wish that something should not happen.
• In modern usage outside of this fixed phrase, it is rare and typically found in literary or very formal contexts.

Examples

• Verb:
  • The new security measures are designed to forfend any future attacks on the system.
  • "Heaven forfend that we should ever have to face such a tragedy again," she whispered.
  • The treaty was signed to forfend the possibility of war between the two nations.

Advanced Usage

• "Heaven/God forfend (that)...": A fixed exclamatory phrase used to express a hope that something will not happen, often because it is considered terrible or unthinkable.
  • God forfend that our flight is canceled; we have a crucial meeting tomorrow.
  • Heaven forfend I should ever have to ask him for help.

Variants and Related Words

• Forfended (verb, past tense/past participle): The action of having prevented something.
  • The disaster was forfended by the quick thinking of the crew.
• Forfending (verb, present participle/gerund): The act of preventing.
  • The forfending of conflict is the primary goal of diplomacy.

Synonyms

• Avert: To turn away or prevent.
• Prevent: To stop something from happening.
• Obviate: To remove or avoid a need or difficulty.
• Ward off: To prevent something harmful from affecting you.
• Stave off: To delay or prevent something bad from happening.

Antonyms

• Allow: To permit something to happen.
• Cause: To make something happen.
• Precipitate: To cause an event to happen suddenly.

Notes

• The core meaning of forfend is preventative. It is not used to describe stopping an event that is already in progress.
• While historically it could also mean "to protect or defend," this sense is now obsolete. The primary modern sense is "to avert or prevent."

Verb

1. prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening
   • Let's avoid a confrontation
   • head off a confrontation
   • avert a strike