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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of head off
Dazzling Venus enters the evening sky in March as Saturn heads off into the sunset.
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Dean Regas, Cincinnati Enquirer, 30 Dec. 2025
But one of the many holes in the system, at least in the eyes of Sarkisian, is the lack of regulation surrounding the agents these athletes hire to negotiate those NIL deals before heading off to school.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 30 Dec. 2025
That nonprofit received $350,000 to help local renters and homeowners head off evictions.
—Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Dec. 2025
Boutte dropped the pass after hitting his head off the turf, and Humphrey didn’t bring in the ball.
—Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for head off
Dean Regas, Cincinnati Enquirer, 30 Dec. 2025
But one of the many holes in the system, at least in the eyes of Sarkisian, is the lack of regulation surrounding the agents these athletes hire to negotiate those NIL deals before heading off to school.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 30 Dec. 2025
That nonprofit received $350,000 to help local renters and homeowners head off evictions.
—Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Dec. 2025
Boutte dropped the pass after hitting his head off the turf, and Humphrey didn’t bring in the ball.
—Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for head off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for head off
Verb
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Since the suitcase won’t be as easy to zip open, thieves will have a harder time seeing whether or not your belongings are valuable; this alone could prevent your bag from becoming a target.—
Liz Provencher,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Jan. 2026
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Tips to Prevent Pipes from Freezing Insulation is key in preventing frozen pipes, which means plumbing in areas like attics, exterior walls, outdoor pipes, and crawl spaces, will likely require extra insulation.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Washington — The House easily approved bipartisan legislation Thursday to fund several federal agencies and programs through September as lawmakers work to avert the threat of another government shutdown later this month.—
Kaia Hubbard,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
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As Congress works to avert an end-of-January government shutdown, its latest spending package would largely keep the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget intact, reports Liza Gross for Inside Climate News.—
Noah Haggerty,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Head off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/head%20off. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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