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
After the second hanging, the town doctor cut Hooch’s head off, apparently looking for signs of syphilis (brain involvement is often an indicator), which might seem to explain his erratic behavior.
—
Graham Averill, Outside, 28 Oct. 2025
The president calls his wife and complains about the sole of his shoe before heading off to a girls’ basketball event with Angel Reese.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
To create the costume, Sisto took a sheep onesie and cut the head off of it.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
Court records said Streich bounced Laurer's head off the wall.
—Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for head off
Graham Averill, Outside, 28 Oct. 2025
The president calls his wife and complains about the sole of his shoe before heading off to a girls’ basketball event with Angel Reese.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
To create the costume, Sisto took a sheep onesie and cut the head off of it.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
Court records said Streich bounced Laurer's head off the wall.
—Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for head off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for head off
Verb
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The Heat, which was out-rebounded 61-38 in Wednesday’s loss in Denver, has had particular difficulty preventing teams from rebounding their own miss.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
8 Nov. 2025
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When in a group, space out to prevent the current from transferring between individuals.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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But, traditionally, the judiciary has been concerned about its institutional competence, relative to the other branches’, to evaluate the nature and extent of foreign threats and the policies needed to avert them.—
Jeannie Suk Gersen,
New Yorker,
6 Nov. 2025
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In April 2011, leaders of both parties came to an agreement following weeks of difficult negotiations and ultimately averted a government shutdown, as recapped by President Barack Obama.—
Kinsey Crowley,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Head off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/head%20off. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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