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

Cochran left home for Charlotte in 2008 to study at Johnson & Wales, earning double degrees in Culinary Arts and Food Service Management before heading off to New York in search of great things. —Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 13 Feb. 2026

Same with traffic heading off to the left of the turnpike to get to the plaza bathrooms and fast-food windows. —Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2026

Families eat breakfast together at the all-inclusive dude ranch, then the kids and teens head off with their peers while the adults get to choose their own daily adventures. —Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 10 Feb. 2026

The pair attended Centennial High School before both heading off to the University of Georgia. —Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 9 Feb. 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