as in to prevent
to keep from happening by taking action in advance
if we act quickly, we may still be able to head off disaster
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Recent Examples of head off
The Twins will have Monday off before heading off on a six-game road trip that will take them to Washington and Cleveland.
—
Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 3 May 2026
The chef serves her signature fish nearly whole with crackling skin and flaky flesh, but head off and skillfully deboned.
—Louisa Kung Liu Chu, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
Google has tried to head off any problems by changing where the data is stored.
—Nina Totenberg, NPR, 27 Apr. 2026
Before Snow heads off to serve his sentence, President Warnock (Peter Hudson) receives the news that his daughter, Emilie (Maggie Grace), who was investigating issues around MS One, has been taken hostage by the prisoners who have woken up.
—Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for head off
Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 3 May 2026
The chef serves her signature fish nearly whole with crackling skin and flaky flesh, but head off and skillfully deboned.
—Louisa Kung Liu Chu, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
Google has tried to head off any problems by changing where the data is stored.
—Nina Totenberg, NPR, 27 Apr. 2026
Before Snow heads off to serve his sentence, President Warnock (Peter Hudson) receives the news that his daughter, Emilie (Maggie Grace), who was investigating issues around MS One, has been taken hostage by the prisoners who have woken up.
—Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for head off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for head off
Verb
-
Obama believes norms that prevent the expansion of executive power may need to be codified into law.—
Terry Collins,
USA Today,
6 May 2026
-
The research team led by Schlamminger performed a completely blind analysis, randomizing the values of the masses used to prevent experimenter bias.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
Crisis was quickly averted before any photos were taken as the milliner reoriented his creation atop her head.—
Kristen Tauer,
Footwear News,
7 May 2026
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Six bargaining sessions have included a federal mediator, who acts as a neutral third-party and is typically called in to help avert a strike.—
Kate Armanini,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Head off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/head%20off. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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