What does "fence" mean?
A thin artificial barrier that separates two pieces of land or forms a perimeter enclosing the lands of a house, building, etc.
Fence
/fɛns/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A thin artificial barrier that separates two pieces of land or forms a perimeter enclosing the lands of a house, building, etc.
- Grammar: fence is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: abatis, about the bush, advanced work, arch dam.
- Useful contrasts: access, expansion, freedom.
- Usage evidence: A fence between makes love more keen.
How to use "fence"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "fence" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "fence" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "fence" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "fence" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "fence" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abatis" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "fence", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A thin artificial barrier that separates two pieces of land or forms a perimeter enclosing the lands of a house, building, etc. countable, uncountable
"There was a weak place in the fence separating the two inclosures"
- 2 a barrier that serves to enclose an area wordnet
- 3 Someone who hides or buys and sells stolen goods, a criminal middleman for transactions of stolen goods. countable, informal, uncountable
"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."
- 4 a dealer in stolen property wordnet
- 5 The place whence such a middleman operates. broadly, countable, uncountable
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 Skill in oral debate. countable, uncountable
- 7 The art or practice of fencing. obsolete, uncountable
"I bruised my shin th' other day with playing at sword and dagger with a master of fence"
- 8 A guard or guide on machinery. countable, uncountable
- 9 A barrier, for example an emotional barrier. countable, figuratively, uncountable
"I was in your arms Thinking I belonged there I figured it made sense Building me a fence"
- 10 A memory barrier. countable, uncountable
- 11 The boundary. countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To enclose, contain or separate by building fence. transitive
"[…] pray you, if you know, Where in the purlieus of this forest stands A sheep-cote fenc’d about with olive trees?"
- 2 have an argument about something wordnet
- 3 To defend or guard. transitive
"Cosin, our hands I hope shall fence our heads, And strike off his that makes you threaten vs."
- 4 surround with a wall in order to fortify wordnet
- 5 To engage in the selling or buying of stolen goods. transitive
"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."
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 fight with fencing swords wordnet
- 7 To engage in the sport of fencing. intransitive
"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."
- 8 enclose with a fence wordnet
- 9 To jump over a fence. intransitive
- 10 receive stolen goods wordnet
- 11 To conceal the truth by giving equivocal answers; to hedge; to be evasive. intransitive
"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."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"A fence between makes love more keen."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "fence"?
Common synonyms include: abatis, about the bush, advanced work, arch dam, argue, arm.
How do you use "fence" in a sentence?
A fence between makes love more keen.
How do you pronounce "fence"?
Pronounced /fɛns/.
Etymology
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).