Adjacent Words

Fence definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

FENCE, n. fens. [See Fend.]
1. A wall, hedge, ditch, bank, or line of posts and rails, or of boards or pickets, intended to confine beasts from straying, and to guard a field from being entered by cattle, or from other encroachment. A good farmer has good fences about his farm; an insufficient fence is evidence of bad management. Broken windows and poor fences are evidences of idleness or poverty or of both.
2. A guard; any thing to restrain entrance; that which defends from attack, approach or injury; security; defense.
A fence betwixt us and the victor's wrath.
3. Fencing, or the art of fencing; defense.
4. Skill in fencing or defense.
FENCE, v.t. fens.
1. To inclose with a hedge, wall, or any thing that prevents the escape or entrance of cattle; to secure by an inclosure. In New England, farmers, for the most part, fence their lands with posts and rails, or with stone walls. In England, lands are usually fenced with hedges and ditches.
He hath fenced my way that I cannot pass. Job 19.
2. To guard; to fortify.
So much of adder's wisdom I have learnt, to fence my ear against thy sorceries.
FENCE, v.i.
1. To practice the art of fencing; to use a sword or foil, for the purpose of learning the art of attack and defense. To fence well is deemed a useful accomplishment for military gentlemen.
2. To fight and defend by giving and avoiding blows or thrusts.
They fence and push, and pushing, loudly roar, their dewlaps and their sides are bathed in gore.
3. To raise a fence; to guard. It is difficult to fence against unruly cattle.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a barrier that serves to enclose an area [syn: fence, fencing]
2: a dealer in stolen property v
1: enclose with a fence; "we fenced in our yard" [syn: fence, fence in]
2: receive stolen goods
3: fight with fencing swords
4: surround with a wall in order to fortify [syn: wall, palisade, fence, fence in, surround]
5: have an argument about something [syn: argue, contend, debate, fence]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Usage: often attributive Etymology: Middle English fens, short for defens defense Date: 14th century 1. archaic a means of protection ; defense 2. a. a barrier intended to prevent escape or intrusion or to mark a boundary; especially such a barrier made of posts and wire or boards b. an immaterial barrier or boundary line <on the other side of the fence in the argument> 3. fencing 1 4. a. a receiver of stolen goods b. a place where stolen goods are bought • fenceless adjective • fencelessness noun II. verb (fenced; fencing) Date: 15th century transitive verb 1. a. to enclose with a fence b. (1) to keep in or out with a fence (2) to ward off 2. to provide a defense for 3. to sell (stolen property) to a fence intransitive verb 1. a. to practice fencing b. (1) to use tactics of attack and defense resembling those of fencing (2) to parry arguments by shifting ground 2. archaic to provide protection • fencer noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a barrier or railing or other upright structure enclosing an area of ground, esp. to prevent or control access. 2 a large upright obstacle in steeplechasing or showjumping. 3 sl. a receiver of stolen goods. 4 a guard or guide in machinery. --v. 1 tr. surround with or as with a fence. 2 tr. a (foll. by in, off) enclose or separate with or as with a fence. b (foll. by up) seal with or as with a fence. 3 tr. (foll. by from, against) screen, shield, protect. 4 tr. (foll. by out) exclude with or as with a fence; keep out. 5 tr. (also absol.) sl. deal in (stolen goods). 6 intr. practise the sport of fencing; use a sword. 7 intr. (foll. by with) evade answering (a person or question). 8 intr. (of a horse etc.) leap fences. Phrases and idioms: sit on the fence remain neutral or undecided in a dispute etc. Derivatives: fenceless adj. fencer n. Etymology: ME f. DEFENCE

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Fence Fence, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fenced (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Fencing.] 1. To fend off danger from; to give security to; to protect; to guard. To fence my ear against thy sorceries. --Milton. 2. To inclose with a fence or other protection; to secure by an inclosure. O thou wall! . . . dive in the earth, And fence not Athens. --Shak. A sheepcote fenced about with olive trees. --Shak. To fence the tables (Scot. Church), to make a solemn address to those who present themselves to commune at the Lord's supper, on the feelings appropriate to the service, in order to hinder, so far as possible, those who are unworthy from approaching the table. --McCheyne.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Fence Fence, n. [Abbrev. from defence.] 1. That which fends off attack or danger; a defense; a protection; a cover; security; shield. Let us be backed with God and with the seas, Which he hath given for fence impregnable. --Shak. A fence betwixt us and the victor's wrath. --Addison. 2. An inclosure about a field or other space, or about any object; especially, an inclosing structure of wood, iron, or other material, intended to prevent intrusion from without or straying from within. Leaps o'er the fence with ease into the fold. --Milton. Note: In England a hedge, ditch, or wall, as well as a structure of boards, palings, or rails, is called a fence. 3. (Locks) A projection on the bolt, which passes through the tumbler gates in locking and unlocking. 4. Self-defense by the use of the sword; the art and practice of fencing and sword play; hence, skill in debate and repartee. See Fencing. Enjoy your dear wit, and gay rhetoric, That hath so well been taught her dazzing fence. --Milton. Of dauntless courage and consummate skill in fence. --Macaulay. 5. A receiver of stolen goods, or a place where they are received. [Slang] --Mayhew. Fence month (Forest Law), the month in which female deer are fawning, when hunting is prohibited. --Bullokar. Fence roof, a covering for defense. ``They fitted their shields close to one another in manner of a fence roof.'' --Holland. Fence time, the breeding time of fish or game, when they should not be killed. Rail fence, a fence made of rails, sometimes supported by posts. Ring fence, a fence which encircles a large area, or a whole estate, within one inclosure. Worm fence, a zigzag fence composed of rails crossing one another at their ends; -- called also snake fence, or Virginia rail fence. To be on the fence, to be undecided or uncommitted in respect to two opposing parties or policies. [Colloq.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Fence Fence, v. i. 1. To make a defense; to guard one's self of anything, as against an attack; to give protection or security, as by a fence. Vice is the more stubborn as well as the more dangerous evil, and therefore, in the first place, to be fenced against. --Locke. 2. To practice the art of attack and defense with the sword or with the foil, esp. with the smallsword, using the point only. He will fence with his own shadow. --Shak. 3. Hence, to fight or dispute in the manner of fencers, that is, by thrusting, guarding, parrying, etc. They fence and push, and, pushing, loudly roar; Their dewlaps and their sides are bat?ed in gore. --Dryden. As when a billow, blown against, Falls back, the voice with which I fenced A little ceased, but recommenced. --Tennyson.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(fences, fencing, fenced) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. A fence is a barrier between two areas of land, made of wood or wire supported by posts. Villagers say the fence would restrict public access to the hills. N-COUNT 2. If you fence an area of land, you surround it with a fence. The first task was to fence the wood to exclude sheep... Thomas was playing in a little fenced area full of sand. VERB: V n, V-ed 3. A fence in show jumping or horse racing is an obstacle or barrier that horses have to jump over. N-COUNT 4. If one country tries to mend fences with another, it tries to end a disagreement or quarrel with the other country. You can also say that two countries mend fences. Washington was last night doing its best to mend fences with the Europeans, saying it understood their concerns... PHRASE: V inflects, PHR with n, pl-n PHR 5. If you sit on the fence, you avoid supporting a particular side in a discussion or argument. They are sitting on the fence and refusing to commit themselves... PHRASE: V inflects

Easton's Bible Dictionary

(Heb. gader), Num. 22:24 (R.V.). Fences were constructions of unmortared stones, to protect gardens, vineyards, sheepfolds, etc. From various causes they were apt to bulge out and fall (Ps. 62:3). In Ps. 80:12, R.V. (see Isa. 5:5), the psalmist says, "Why hast thou broken down her fences?" Serpents delight to lurk in the crevices of such fences (Eccl. 10:8; comp. Amos 5:19).

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

fens (batsar, mibhtsar):

Commonly used in the King James Version in the description of fortified places, as the translation of batsar, "to cut off," "to separate," "to fortify" (and forms) (De 3:5; 9:1; 28:52, etc.); mibhtsar, "fenced city," is a fortified place (Nu 32:17,36; Jos 10:20; 19:35, etc.); matsor, "fenced cities," means "bulwark," "citadel" (2Ch 8:5); metsurah, "fortification" (2Ch 11:23; 12:4; 14:6; 21:3); for "fenced" the American Standard Revised Version substitutes "fortified" in all these instances; in Da 11:15, mibhtsar is "a well-fortified city," margin "the fortified cities," the English Revised Version "well-fenced"; "fence" is also the translation of gadher, "a wall" or "fence" (Job 19:8 the American Standard Revised Version, "walled up" (gadhar); Ps 62:3); `azaq, "to loosen" (the ground) as with a mattock (Isa 5:2, where the King James Version has "fenced" it (the vineyard), the American Standard Revised Version "digged it," the English Revised Version "made a trench about it," it" margin "digged it" sukh, "to interweave" or "interlace" (Job 10:11, the Revised Version (British and American) "clothed"); male', "to be or become full" (2Sa 23:7, the Revised Version (British and American) "armed," margin "Hebrew filled").

ERV has "fence" for "wall" (Nu 22:24; Isa 5:5; Ho 2:6; the American Standard Revised Version retains "wall"), for "hedge" (Ec 10:8; Eze 13:5; 22:30; the American Standard Revised Version "wall"); "fenced" for "walled" (Nu 13:28; De 1:28; the American Standard Revised Version "fortified"); compare for "strong" Jos 19:29; Ne 9:25; Ps 108:10 (margin Jos 19:29, "the city of Mibzar-zor, that is, the fortress of Tyre," the English Revised Version ,"fenced"), for "hedged" (La 3:7, American Revised Version, "walled"); compare for "defenced," the English Revised Version "fenced," the American Standard Revised Version "fortified" (Isa 36:1; 37:26, etc.); "fences" for "hedges" (Ps 80:12, the American Standard Revised Version "walls"); in Jer 49:3, the English Revised Version and the American Standard Revised Version have "fences."

See also HEDGE.

W. L. Walker

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. 1. Protecting enclosure, wall, hedge, post-and-rail framing, wire-guard, palings, etc. (as the case may be). 2. Shield, guard, security, protection, defence. 3. Fencing, art of self-defence, swordsmanship, sword-play. 4. Defensive argument, skill in refutation. II. v. a. 1. Enclose with a fence. 2. Guard, fortify, defend. III. v. n. 1. Practise fencing, use the sword. 2. Shuffle, evade, equivocate, prevaricate, hedge.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

To pawn or sell to a receiver of stolen goods. The kiddey fenced his thimble for three quids; the young fellow pawned his watch for three guineas. To fence invariably means to pawn or sell goods to a receiver.

Moby Thesaurus

abatis, about the bush, advanced work, arch dam, arm, armor, armor-plate, around the bush, avoid, backstop, baffle, balistraria, balustrade, bamboo curtain, bank, banquette, bar, barbed wire, barbed-wire entanglement, barbican, barrage, barricade, barrier, bartizan, bastion, battle, battlement, bear-trap dam, beat about, beat around, beaver dam, beg the question, bicker, black-market, black-marketeer, bless, block, blockade, boggle, boom, bootleg, bound, boundary, box, brawl, breakwater, breastwork, brick wall, broil, buffer, bulkhead, bulkhead in, bulwark, cage, casemate, castellate, cavil, center, champion, cheval-de-frise, choplogic, circumscribe, circumvallation, clash, cloak, close, cofferdam, collide, combat, come to blows, compass about, compromise, confine, contend, contest, contravallation, coop, copyright, corral, counterscarp, cover, crenellate, curtain, cushion, cut and thrust, dam, defend, defense, demibastion, dig in, dike, ditch, dodge, drawbridge, duck, duel, earthwork, embankment, embattle, encircle, enclose, enclosure, ensure, entanglement, entrench, equivocate, escarp, escarpment, evade, evade the issue, exchange blows, feint, fences, fend, fend off, feud, fieldwork, fight, fight a duel, foil, fortalice, fortification, fortify, garrison, gate, give and take, give satisfaction, glacis, golden mean, grapple, grapple with, gravity dam, groin, guarantee, guard, half measures, half-and-half measures, halfway measures, happy medium, harbor, haven, hedge, hedgerow, hem, hem and haw, hoarding, hydraulic-fill dam, immure, impartial, indecisive, independent, insure, iron curtain, irresolute, jam, jetty, jostle, joust, keep, keep from harm, leaping weir, levee, logjam, loophole, lunette, machicolation, make safe, man, man the garrison, maneuver, mantelet, mean, medium, merlon, mew, middle course, middle ground, middle way, milldam, mine, mix it up, moat, moderantism, moderate position, moderateness, moderation, moderatism, mole, moonshine, mound, mystify, nestle, neutral, neutral ground, nitpick, obscure, on the fence, outwit, outwork, pale, paling, palisade, palter, parados, parapet, parry, patent, pen, pick nits, picket, police, portcullis, postern gate, prevaricate, protect, pull away, pull back, push, pussyfoot, put off, qualify, quarrel, quibble, rail, railing, rampart, rassle, ravelin, receiver, recoil, redan, redoubt, register, restrict, retaining wall, ride shotgun for, riot, roadblock, rock-fill dam, run a tilt, safeguard, sally port, scarp, sconce, scramble, screen, scuffle, seawall, secure, separate, sheer off, shelter, shield, shift, shift off, shilly-shally, shirk, shove, shrink, shroud, shuffle, shutter dam, shy, shy away, shy off, sidestep, skirmish, spar, split hairs, step aside, stockade, stone wall, stonewall, stop, strive, struggle, surround, swagman, swagsman, swerve, tenaille, tergiversate, third force, thrust and parry, tilt, tourney, trellis, tussle, unbiased, uncertain, uncommitted, undecided, underwrite, unprejudiced, vacillate, vacillating, vallation, vallum, via media, waffle, wage war, wall, war, ward off, weir, wicket dam, work, wrestle, zigzag fence