Meaning & use
fender
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Meanings
nouncountableAmerican
The curved body panel over the wheel of a car or similar vehicle.
Grammar: Mainly American usage; British English says wing for a car.
Patterns
- the front fender of something
Someone dented my fender in the parking lot.
The mechanic replaced the rusted rear fender.
A small scratch ran along the left front fender.
nouncountableAmerican
A curved guard fitted over a bicycle wheel to stop mud and water splashing up.
Grammar: British English usually calls this a mudguard.
Patterns
- fenders on something
He added fenders to his bike for the rainy season.
Without a fender, my back was soaked with spray.
The plastic fender rattled on the rough road.
nouncountable
A low metal frame placed in front of a fireplace to keep coals and sparks from reaching the room.
Grammar: Also used in British English for this fireplace sense.
Patterns
- a fender around something
She hung the wet socks over the brass fender.
A spark leaped over the fender onto the rug.
The old house still had its original iron fender.
nouncountabletechnical
An object such as a rope pad or tire hung on a boat or dock to cushion it against bumps.
Grammar: Often used in the plural around boats.
Patterns
- fenders on a boat
We hung fenders along the side before docking.
The ferry rubbed against the rubber fender.
Worn fenders failed to protect the hull.
Word forms
| plural | fenders |
|---|
Common combinations
- front fender
- The front fender took most of the damage.
- fender bender
- It was only a fender bender, so nobody was hurt.
- dent a fender
- He dented a fender backing out of the garage.
- bicycle fender
- A bicycle fender keeps your trousers clean.
- fireplace fender
- The fireplace fender was polished every week.
Synonyms and how they differ
- wing
- Wing is the standard British word for the car panel, while fender is the American one.
- mudguard
- Mudguard is the British word for the wheel cover on bikes and some vehicles, and it names the splash-stopping purpose more directly.
- bumper
- A bumper is the bar across the front or back of a car, not the panel over the wheel.
- guard
- Guard is a much broader word for anything that protects, while fender is a specific part.
Word family
Commonly confused: fender or bumper?
fender vs bumper
A bumper sits at the very front or rear of a car; a fender covers the area around a wheel.
Practice
After the minor collision, the car's front ______ was dented, but the bumper was fine.
Choose one answer.
The fender is the panel above the wheel, so it can be dented separately from the bumper. Hood is tempting but is the engine cover in the middle.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fender”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.