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

Local outfitters can provide the essentials—just pack your sunscreen and a cooler full of your favorite refreshments before heading off to one of these popular destinations. —Kelsey Yandura, Midwest Living, 17 June 2026

Price and her dogs then ran from the area while the bear headed off in the opposite direction. —Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 16 June 2026

This Cannes Directors’ Fortnight prizewinner sets out its pitch-black-comic stall early with a prologue in which, after a brief contretemps, local man Raoul Brun (Jean-Louis Coulloc’h) blows his supercilious neighbor’s head off with a shotgun and then disappears. —Jessica Kiang, Variety, 16 June 2026

The book ends with Cantrell heading off toward Maine to restart his reclusive life. —Helaine Williams, Arkansas Online, 13 June 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