ward off

phrasal verb

warded off; warding off; wards off

: to avoid being hit by (something)

ward off a blow

—often used figuratively

I tried different remedies to ward off a cold.

Examples of ward off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Her books were their progeny, Stein acknowledged, and without Alice’s mothering—and typing, proofreading, cooking, sewing, shopping, bookkeeping, and warding off bores—they might not have been born. —Judith Thurman, New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2025

Reynolds is a tetchy tyrant, who, enabled by his sister, Cyril (Lesley Manville), has embraced a need to have things just so as a means of warding off vulnerability. —Alison Willmore, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025

Simply slide the clear protector down over the top of the suitcase and secure it at the base of the bag to ward off stains, scratches, and other signs of wear and tear. —Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 23 Sep. 2025

Some companies are taking actions on their own to strengthen their rules in a possible bid to ward off federal regulation. —Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 19 Sep. 2025

Rhymes for ward off

• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff
• playoff