as in prevents
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of heads off
John heads off to lunch to try to mend things with Caroline, to whom neither of them has spoken since the party.
—
Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026
Mark Kastelic takes the opening faceoff, wins the all-important draw and heads off the ice, to be replaced by a player presumed to have more offensive chops.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 11 Mar. 2026
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that on February 25, someone cut the blooming heads off all the flowers in Calla Lily Valley.
—Owen Clarke, Outside, 4 Mar. 2026
Very little for Rihanna, who heads off to the studio instead.
—Séraphine Roger, Vanity Fair, 28 Feb. 2026
But the Celebrating Gustavo shows are sure to be highlights before Dudamel packs his baton and heads off to his new post as the head of the New York Philharmonic.
—Peter Larsen, Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026
From there, however, the video leaves The Doors’ native SoCal and heads off around the world to draw upon musical contributions from more than 20 musicians and dancers from eight different countries.
—Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026
Before then, William heads off solo to Brazil for a week around his innovative environmental awards, the Earthshot Prize.
—Simon Perry, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
Penn State fans made that abundantly clear Saturday by arriving uncharacteristically late to the game and booing their heads off when the game ended.
—Alex Kirshner, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026
Mark Kastelic takes the opening faceoff, wins the all-important draw and heads off the ice, to be replaced by a player presumed to have more offensive chops.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 11 Mar. 2026
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that on February 25, someone cut the blooming heads off all the flowers in Calla Lily Valley.
—Owen Clarke, Outside, 4 Mar. 2026
Very little for Rihanna, who heads off to the studio instead.
—Séraphine Roger, Vanity Fair, 28 Feb. 2026
But the Celebrating Gustavo shows are sure to be highlights before Dudamel packs his baton and heads off to his new post as the head of the New York Philharmonic.
—Peter Larsen, Daily News, 18 Feb. 2026
From there, however, the video leaves The Doors’ native SoCal and heads off around the world to draw upon musical contributions from more than 20 musicians and dancers from eight different countries.
—Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026
Before then, William heads off solo to Brazil for a week around his innovative environmental awards, the Earthshot Prize.
—Simon Perry, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
Penn State fans made that abundantly clear Saturday by arriving uncharacteristically late to the game and booing their heads off when the game ended.
—Alex Kirshner, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heads off
Verb
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Patience demonstrates care and prevents avoidable mix-ups.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
17 Mar. 2026
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Cleaning your coffee maker regularly ensures better-tasting coffee, prevents malfunctions, and extends the life of your machine.—
Louise Parks,
Martha Stewart,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
For now and unless Williams changes his mind again, the move averts a potential historic litigation where Washington planned to sue Williams over his plan to switch schools.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
8 Jan. 2026
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The Corps project averts potential catastrophic flooding that could lay siege to about 475,000 residents, California and the nation, according to the government’s court documents.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Heads off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heads%20off. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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