fence
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fence
- /fɛns/
- [fɛns]
- [fɛnts]
Rhymes with -ɛns
Where it comes from
From Middle English fence, fens, short for defence, defens (“the act of defending”), from Old French defens, defense (see defence).
The sense "enclosure" arises in the mid 15th century.
Also from the 15th century is use as a verb in the sense "to enclose with a fence". The generalized sense "to defend, screen, protect" arises ca. 1500. The sense "to fight with swords (rapiers)" is from the 1590s (Shakespeare).
Displaced native Old English heġe (compare Modern English hedge).
noun fences
- A thin artificial barrier that separates two pieces of land or forms a perimeter enclosing the lands of a house, building, etc. There was a weak place in the fence separating the two inclosures
-
Someone who hides or buys and sells stolen goods, a criminal middleman for transactions of stolen goods.
The Bat—they called him the Bat.[…]. He'd never been in stir, the bulls had never mugged him, he didn't run with a mob, he played a lone hand, and fenced his stuff so that even the fence couldn't swear he knew his face.
Similar: fencer
- The place whence such a middleman operates.
- Skill in oral debate.
- The art or practice of fencing. I bruised my shin th' other day with playing at sword and dagger with a master of fence
- A guard or guide on machinery.
- A barrier, for example an emotional barrier. I was in your arms Thinking I belonged there I figured it made sense Building me a fence
- A prohibition enacted to prevent violation of another more primary rule. For quite other reasons Jewish religious authorities, too, restricted the size of the orchestra. They sought to erect a "fence" against hilarity and gaiety, out of respect for their ever remembered "Destruction."
- A memory barrier.
- The boundary.
verb fences · fencing · fenced
- To enclose, contain or separate by building fence. […] pray you, if you know, Where in the purlieus of this forest stands A sheep-cote fenc’d about with olive trees?
- To defend or guard. Cosin, our hands I hope shall fence our heads, And strike off his that makes you threaten vs.
-
To engage in the selling or buying of stolen goods.
The Bat—they called him the Bat.[…]. He'd never been in stir, the bulls had never mugged him, he didn't run with a mob, he played a lone hand, and fenced his stuff so that even the fence couldn't swear he knew his face.
Similar: pawn
- To engage in the sport of fencing (against). Challenges are flying right and left between these bully-swordsmen, these spadassinicides, and poor devils of the robe who have never learnt to fence with anything but a quill.
- To jump over a fence.
- To conceal the truth by giving equivocal answers; to hedge; to be evasive. A lady, sir, as you will find, / Keeps counsel, or she speaks her mind, / Means what she says and scorns to fence / And palter with feigned innocence.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: palisade, fence in, wall, surround, contend, argue, debate, railing, gate, stockade, parapet, barricade, screen, barrier, rail, shelf
Translations
Every language
noun barrier
| Español | cerca, cerramiento, barda, valla, seto, cerco |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 울타리 ultari, 담 dam |
| 日本語 | 柵 saku, 塀 hei, 囲い kakoi, 垣根 kakine, 垣 kaki |
| 中文 | 籬笆 /篱笆 líba, 柵欄 /栅栏 zhàlan |
| हिन्दी | बाड़ bāṛ |
| Kiswahili | ua |
| Português | cerca |
| Français | clôture, cloison |
| Deutsch | Zaun |
| Italiano | recinto, steccato, palizzata, cinta, siepe, barriera |
| Ελληνικά | φράχτης fráchtis, περίφραξη perífraxi, μάντρα mántra |
| Română | gard, îngrăditură |
| Русский | забо́р zabór, и́згородь ízgorodʹ, огра́да ográda, огражде́ние ograždénije |
| Tiếng Việt | hàng rào |
| العربية | سُور sūr, سِيَاج siyāj |
| עברית | גָדֵר gadér |
noun someone who hides or buys and sells stolen goods
| Español | perista, reducidor |
|---|---|
| Kiswahili | ua |
| Português | receptador |
| Français | recéleur, recéleuse, receleur, receleuse, fourgue |
| Deutsch | Hehler, Hehlerin |
| Italiano | ricettatore |
| Ελληνικά | κλεπταποδόχος kleptapodóchos |
| Română | tăinuitor, tăinuitoare |
| Русский | ску́пщик кра́деного skúpščik krádenovo, бары́га barýga |
verb to engage in (the sport) fencing
| Español | esgrimir |
|---|---|
| Kiswahili | ua |
| Português | esgrimir |
| Deutsch | fechten |
| Ελληνικά | ξιφομαχώ xifomachó |
| Română | scrima |
| Русский | фехтова́ть fextovátʹ |
verb to enclose by building a fence
| Español | cercar |
|---|---|
| हिन्दी | बाड़ा bāṛā |
| Kiswahili | ua |
| Português | cercar |
| Français | clôturer |
| Deutsch | befrieden, einfrieden, einfriedigen, einhegen, einzäunen, umfrieden |
| Italiano | recintare |
| Ελληνικά | περιφράσσω perifrásso, φράζω frázo |
| Română | îngrădi, înconjura, împrejmui |
| Русский | огора́живать ogoráživatʹ, огороди́ть ogorodítʹ |
| עברית | גידר gidér |
verb to trade with stolen goods
| Français | fourguer |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | hehlen |
| Ελληνικά | πωλώ κλοπιμαία poló klopimaía |
| Русский | бары́жить barýžitʹ |
Talk about this word "fence." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/fence. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. fence. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/fence "fence." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/fence.Cite this
@misc{fence_2026,
title = {fence},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/fence},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
