fight off
phrasal verb
fought off; fighting off; fights off
: to defend oneself against (someone or something) by fighting or struggling : to avoid being harmed or overcome by (someone or something) by fighting or struggling
They fought off the attack/attackers.
I'm trying to fight off a cold.
Examples of fight off in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Then Finland fought off a Soviet invasion when Joseph Stalin's Red Army attacked in 1939, known as the Winter War.
—
Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2024
Surgery removed the 2-inch tumor in her lung, then new treatments also boosted her immune system, fighting off any recurrence.
—Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 12 Apr. 2024
Kyiv must maintain a sizeable army in order to keep fighting off the Kremlin—perhaps with universal conscription, modeled on the Israeli or Swiss variants—complete with a large and modern equipment base supplied by a robust defense industry.
—Branislav L. Slantchev, Foreign Affairs, 1 Apr. 2024
The story goes that my grandmother helped fight off the bandits.
—Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024
The following year, Padilla called on Villaraigosa and other Eastside leaders to fight off Valley secession.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024
The first separate attacks were against hikers who both fought off the fox using their trekking poles, according to Game and Fish, who added one hiker received a scratch on the leg and the other had a bruise from a fall.
—The Arizona Republic, 5 Apr. 2024
Clay had famously fought off six brothers who had attacked him with guns, daggers and cudgels at a political debate, killing one with a knife.
—Jon Grinspan, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Apr. 2024
Allen jumps off the docks in the film's ending, helps Madison fight off villains, and swims into happily ever after with her by his side.
—Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 9 Mar. 2024
Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2024
Surgery removed the 2-inch tumor in her lung, then new treatments also boosted her immune system, fighting off any recurrence.
—Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 12 Apr. 2024
Kyiv must maintain a sizeable army in order to keep fighting off the Kremlin—perhaps with universal conscription, modeled on the Israeli or Swiss variants—complete with a large and modern equipment base supplied by a robust defense industry.
—Branislav L. Slantchev, Foreign Affairs, 1 Apr. 2024
The story goes that my grandmother helped fight off the bandits.
—Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024
The following year, Padilla called on Villaraigosa and other Eastside leaders to fight off Valley secession.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024
The first separate attacks were against hikers who both fought off the fox using their trekking poles, according to Game and Fish, who added one hiker received a scratch on the leg and the other had a bruise from a fall.
—The Arizona Republic, 5 Apr. 2024
Clay had famously fought off six brothers who had attacked him with guns, daggers and cudgels at a political debate, killing one with a knife.
—Jon Grinspan, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Apr. 2024
Allen jumps off the docks in the film's ending, helps Madison fight off villains, and swims into happily ever after with her by his side.
—Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 9 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fight off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Fight off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fight%20off. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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