fend for oneself

fend for oneself (third-person singular simple present fends for oneself, present participle fending for oneself, simple past and past participle fended for oneself)

1. To take care of oneself without help.

   After her mother passed away, she had to learn to fend for herself.

   • 2012, Christoper Zara, Tortured Artists: From Picasso and Monroe to Warhol and Winehouse, the Twisted Secrets of the World's Most Creative Minds, part 1, chapter 1, 26:

     Clara's father, a trollish ne'er-do-well who spent most of his time in brothels and saloons, would disappear for days and weeks at a stretch, leaving Clara and her mother to fend for themselves.

• Often used in the phrase leave someone to fend for themselves (compare leave someone to their own devices).