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

The Orange County Board of Supervisors needs fresh talent to head off impending crises, especially on the budget. — John Seiler, Oc Register, 9 July 2026

OpenAI may also be hoping to head off a somewhat similar proposal from Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders which would force AI companies to contribute as much as 50% of their equity to a sovereign wealth fund. — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 2 July 2026

The Friends mainstay and Inland Empire star were married in their backyard in front of a crowd of their A-list pals, before heading off to their Bora Bora honeymoon. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 2 July 2026

Before work, Geri heads off to question Joyce Tercek, the Yale admissions lady that Dennis blackmailed in the elevator a few episodes ago. — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 1 July 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