as in averted
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 headed off
Decked out in a custom 3D wheelchair, Cola, now aged 4, left the shelter and headed off into the sunset and a life in a new forever home.
—
Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
Pegula then broke again to cap a four-game run that wrapped up the set and, this time, Sabalenka quickly retrieved her bag and headed off to the locker room.
—Howard Fendrich, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
For the first time since kindergarten, Jimmy Snuggerud isn’t headed off to school this year.
—Jeremy Rutherford, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2025
Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
Pegula then broke again to cap a four-game run that wrapped up the set and, this time, Sabalenka quickly retrieved her bag and headed off to the locker room.
—Howard Fendrich, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
For the first time since kindergarten, Jimmy Snuggerud isn’t headed off to school this year.
—Jeremy Rutherford, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for headed off
Verb
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O’Steen averted his eyes from the exhibit, appearing to not want to look at the image of the victim.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Sep. 2025
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In multiple Southern California cities, disaster has been averted — at least for now.—
Dennis Lin,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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At least two people inside Club Q confronted the gunman and prevented further violence, said Colorado Springs Police Chief Adrian Vasquez.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
11 Sep. 2025
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Proactivity also reduces ticket volume; studies indicate that 25% to 40% of contact‑center calls are avoidable, often because of missing documentation, and that 57% of inbound calls could be prevented if answers were easier to find.—
Mukul Garg,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Headed off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/headed%20off. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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