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

And there are clinical trials of these drugs underway to determine whether treatment could head off the disease in people who have biological signs of the disease but no symptoms. —Tanya Lewis, Scientific American, 19 Feb. 2026

But the Celebrating Gustavo shows are sure to be highlights before Dudamel packs his baton and heads off to his new post as the head of the New York Philharmonic. —Peter Larsen, Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026

With Joe Ryan and Taj Bradley headed off to compete in the World Baseball Classic next month, the Twins should get an extended look at some of their rotation options. —Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 18 Feb. 2026

But to head off another mass uprising, the Islamic Republic's leadership knows the best option would be to get sanctions lifted so Iranians can afford food and fuel again. —Mariia Kashchenko, CBS News, 17 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