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 San Francisco Unified School District is alerting parents to get ready for schools to be closed on Monday as a deal to head off a teachers' strike appears far from being reached.
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Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026
The trio and Peterson subsequently boarded a 1947 Beechcraft Model 35 Bonanza airplane and headed off into poor winter weather conditions late at night.
—Chris Barilla, PEOPLE, 3 Feb. 2026
To get a deal done, players must often move fast, gather their belongings, say a quick farewell, then head off for the medicals, contract finalising and other logistics before announcing their arrival elsewhere.
—Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
The vote will head off any data center development in New Orleans East, which has drawn concerns about energy and water consumption from neighbors and local politicians, including Mayor Helena Moreno.
—Aliana Mediratta, Los Angeles Times, 1 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for head off
Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026
The trio and Peterson subsequently boarded a 1947 Beechcraft Model 35 Bonanza airplane and headed off into poor winter weather conditions late at night.
—Chris Barilla, PEOPLE, 3 Feb. 2026
To get a deal done, players must often move fast, gather their belongings, say a quick farewell, then head off for the medicals, contract finalising and other logistics before announcing their arrival elsewhere.
—Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 1 Feb. 2026
The vote will head off any data center development in New Orleans East, which has drawn concerns about energy and water consumption from neighbors and local politicians, including Mayor Helena Moreno.
—Aliana Mediratta, Los Angeles Times, 1 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for head off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for head off
Verb
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Even worse, that money was supposed to go toward preventing and reversing drug overdoses amid an ongoing opioid epidemic.—
Blake Nelson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Feb. 2026
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The same dangerous whiteout conditions that caused the avalanche Tuesday have prevented recovery crews from returning to the remote Sierra Nevada backcountry to bring home the bodies, officials said in an update Wednesday.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The administration estimates its rule repeal will avert $670 million in compliance costs over a decade.—
Connor Giffin,
Louisville Courier Journal,
20 Feb. 2026
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Instead of fluids, the doctor ordered dopamine to raise the patient’s blood pressure without adding volume—averting what Hart believed could have led to a life-threatening complication.—
Hilke Schellmann,
Scientific American,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Head off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/head%20off. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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