head off

verb

headed off; heading off; heads off

transitive verb

: to turn back or turn aside : block, prevent

head them off at the pass

attempts to head off the imminent crisis

intransitive verb

: to go to another place

See you later—I'm heading off to work.

Synonyms of head off

• prevent
• avert

Examples of head off in a Sentence

if we act quickly, we may still be able to head off disaster

Recent Examples on the Web

By contrast, if Weiss is not getting a promotion, Ellison would be wise to say something the minute the deal is officially closed, heading off speculation about CNN’s future and preventing possible talent defections at the network. — Josef Adalian, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026

After the nuptials, the newlyweds headed off on a honeymoon in Llandudno, a seaside resort on the north coast of Wales. — Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2026

Most gambling sites, including FanDuel and Kalshi, offer tools to head off trouble, such as budgeting features, voluntary account suspensions and programs that flag changes in behavior. — Dan Horn, Cincinnati Enquirer, 20 Sep. 2026

The actor did recently post on Instagram that his older son, Orion, is heading off to college. — Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 17 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for head off

• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff
• playoff