as in preventing
to keep from happening by taking action in advance
if we act quickly, we may still be able to head off disaster
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of heading off
Trump put intense pressure on five Republican senators who joined with Democrats to advance the resolution last week and ultimately prevailed in heading off passage of the legislation.
—
Chicago Tribune, 15 Jan. 2026
The actress was also filmed getting final makeup touch-ups before heading off to the ceremony.
—Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
His moves often came in an effort to directly replace a player heading off the roster (like Adam Larsson).
—Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
Couples who choose to sleep apart can still nurture connection and intimacy by sharing an evening wind-down routine before heading off to separate sleeping arrangements, Troxel suggested.
—Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 29 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
Happier, at least initially, is Captain Olivia Walker (Rebecca Ferguson), who kisses her husband and young son goodbye before heading off to work at the White House.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2025
On the day this particular video was filmed, Michael was heading off for one of the most gruelling shifts on his intensive schedule.
—Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
However, becoming an expat is not always as simple as packing up your bags and heading off to wherever calls your name.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
Chicago Tribune, 15 Jan. 2026
The actress was also filmed getting final makeup touch-ups before heading off to the ceremony.
—Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
His moves often came in an effort to directly replace a player heading off the roster (like Adam Larsson).
—Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
Couples who choose to sleep apart can still nurture connection and intimacy by sharing an evening wind-down routine before heading off to separate sleeping arrangements, Troxel suggested.
—Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 29 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
Happier, at least initially, is Captain Olivia Walker (Rebecca Ferguson), who kisses her husband and young son goodbye before heading off to work at the White House.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2025
On the day this particular video was filmed, Michael was heading off for one of the most gruelling shifts on his intensive schedule.
—Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
However, becoming an expat is not always as simple as packing up your bags and heading off to wherever calls your name.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heading off
Verb
-
The lawsuit seeks financial compensation for destruction of the campus, as well as injunctive relief aimed at preventing Edison from causing more wildfires in the future.—
Melody Petersen,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Exercise and protein can also help regulate your body’s metabolism, preventing a spike in blood sugar.—
Heidi Moawad,
Verywell Health,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Superior Court Judge Robert Genuario, a Norwalk Republican who spent a more than a decade in the Senate and on Appropriations in the 1990s and 2000s, credits Keane’s sense of humor with averting a budget crisis in 1995.—
Keith M. Phaneuf,
Hartford Courant,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Its networking and optical connectivity chips function as the lifeline of modern data centers, averting bottlenecks as inference workloads expand across clusters.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Heading off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heading%20off. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
