Definition
English phrasal verb – “fend for oneself”
This phrasal verb means to take care of yourself without any help.
For example – “When you move out to go to university you need to learn how to fend for yourself.”
Clip 1
We Summon the Darkness – (2019)
Clip 2
The Gabby Petito Story – (2022)
In the dramatised version of the real events surrounding the disappearance and death of Gabby Petito we see a character named Rose tell Gabby as she is packing up and leaving to go on a cross-country trip “I can’t believe you’re gonna leave me to fend for myself.” In this scenario, the idiom is used again in a lighthearted manner as Rose is joking that she is being left alone without any help from anyone now that Gabby is leaving.
Clip 3
Knives Out – (2019)
Ransom, played by Chris Evans, is a key character who is revealed to be involved in a plot to inherit his grandfather’s wealth. In the clip, he says, “I was gonna have to fend for myself,” referring to his situation after being cut off from the family fortune after his grandfather refused to include anyone from his own family in his will.
Ransom uses this phrasal verb to express his moment of realisation that he can no longer rely on his family’s vast amount of wealth to fund his lifestyle.
Clip 4
Finding a Family – (2011)
The main character Alex has a troublesome childhood due to his mother’s mental health struggles. Due to this he is constantly in and out of foster care. In the clip, we can see him narrate “It wasn’t easy but I learned to fend for myself,” demonstrating that with no adult role model in his life he had to learn to take care of himself.