Forfend Meaning in English

word

US

UK

Definition

To prevent something bad from happening or to protect against danger or harm. This word is very old-fashioned and is not commonly used today.

Usage & Nuances

Extremely formal, archaic, and literary; found mainly in old texts or in the phrase 'Heaven forfend.' Rarely used in modern speech. 'Forbid' or 'prevent' are standard modern alternatives.

• Spanish: proteger - evitar (arcaico)
• Portuguese (BR): proteger - evitar (arcaico)
• Portuguese (PT): proteger - evitar (arcaico)
• Chinese (Simplified): 防止 (书面语/古语) - 避免 (书面语/古语)
• Chinese (Traditional): 防止 (書面語/古語) - 避免 (書面語/古語)
• Hindi: रक्षा करना - रोकना (पुरातन/औपचारिक)
• Arabic: يقي - يمنع (كلمة قديمة/فصيحة)
• Bengali: রক্ষা করা - প্রতিরোধ করা
• Russian: предотвращать - ограждать (архаизм)
• Japanese: 防ぐ - 守る（古風な表現）
• Vietnamese: ngăn ngừa - bảo vệ (cổ trang, trang trọng)
• Korean: 막다 - 보호하다 (고어, 문어체)
• Turkish: önlemek (eski) - korumak (eski)
• Urdu: روکنا - بچانا (قدیم، رسمی)
• Indonesian: mencegah (kuno) - melindungi (kuno)

Example Sentences

We prayed to forfend evil from our home.

basic

Heaven forfend that we should fail in our mission!

natural

Forfend it should ever happen again.

natural

Many old books use 'God forfend' instead of 'God forbid.'

natural

He begged the gods to forfend disaster.

basic

May fate forfend any harm to the child.

basic