fence

fence
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 adjectivefencelessness 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

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • Fence — (f[e^]ns), n. [Abbrev. from defence.] 1. That which fends off attack or danger; a defense; a protection; a cover; security; shield. [1913 Webster] Let us be backed with God and with the seas, Which he hath given for fence impregnable. Shak. [1913 …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • fence — 1 n 1: a barrier intended to prevent escape or intrusion or to mark a boundary 2 a: a receiver of stolen goods b: a place where stolen goods are bought fence 2 vt fenced, fenc·ing 1 a: to enclose with a fence …   Law dictionary

  • Fence — Fence, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Fenced} (f[e^]nst); p. pr. & vb. n. {Fencing} (f[e^]n s[i^]ng).] 1. To fend off danger from; to give security to; to protect; to guard. [1913 Webster] To fence my ear against thy sorceries. Milton. [1913 Webster] 2. To …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 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. [1913 Webster] Vice is the more stubborn as well as the more dangerous evil, and therefore, in the first… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • fence — fence; fence·less; fence·row; fence·less·ness; of·fence; …   English syllables

  • fence — [fens] n. [ME fens, aphetic for defens, DEFENSE] 1. Obs. a protection; defense 2. a barrier, as of wooden or metal posts, rails, wire mesh, etc., used as a boundary or means of protection or confinement 3. the art of self defense with foil, saber …   English World dictionary

  • fence — ► NOUN 1) a barrier enclosing an area, typically consisting of posts connected by wire, wood, etc. 2) a large upright obstacle in steeplechasing, showjumping, or cross country. 3) informal a dealer in stolen goods. 4) a guard or guide on a plane… …   English terms dictionary

  • fence — [n] barrier used to enclose a piece of land backstop, balustrade, bar, barbed wire, barricade, block, boards, chains, Cyclone, defense, dike, guard, hedge, net, paling, palisade, pickets, posts, rail, railing, rampart, roadblock, shield, stakes,… …   New thesaurus

  • fence — ● fence nom masculin (anglais fence) Obstacle de steeple chase constitué par une barrière de planches …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • fence — [fens] verb [intransitive] informal LAW to buy and sell stolen goods: • The police suspect he has been fencing electronic equipment …   Financial and business terms

  • fence in — index circumscribe (surround by boundary), confine, contain (enclose), enclose, encompass (surround), envelop …   Law dictionary

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