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

As Central America faces the possibility of severe drought, food insecurity, and high costs for fuel and fertilizer, regional governments will likely have to suspend fuel taxes (and forgo substantial revenues) to head off protests. — Dan Restrepo, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2026

The roommate confronted Long, who denied installing the device before heading off to class, according to the report. — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026

The 24-year-old took a puck to the head off the stick of Dallas Stars forward Sam Steel during the final minute of the second period of each team's preseason finale Friday night. — CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026

In an emotional night, fans packed Mohegan Sun Arena to watch their team’s final game before heading off to Houston for the 2027 season. — Jessica Hill, Hartford Courant, 25 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