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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of heads off
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
Then, when the Patriots bulked up and played base personnel (four defensive backs), Smith threw it over their heads off play-action.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 9 Sep. 2025
Dylan then heads off to Europe in October for a long run of shows across much of the continent.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2025
After another commercial break, Flair chopped Chelsea time and again as fans wooed their heads off.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Alex Kirshner, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
Then, when the Patriots bulked up and played base personnel (four defensive backs), Smith threw it over their heads off play-action.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 9 Sep. 2025
Dylan then heads off to Europe in October for a long run of shows across much of the continent.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2025
After another commercial break, Flair chopped Chelsea time and again as fans wooed their heads off.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heads off
Verb
-
But in some cases, the infrastructure simply prevents students from being able to participate in school in the same way as their peers.—
Becca Savransky,
Idaho Statesman,
15 Oct. 2025
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On the first burn, always let the wax melt evenly across the surface to create a full pool—this prevents tunneling (where unused wax gets left around the edges).—
Michael Stefanov,
Robb Report,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Critics also said that the 11th hour change will further complicate efforts to reach a deal that averts a shutdown.—
Erin Doherty,
CNBC,
3 Sep. 2025
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The settlement averts what promised to be a high-profile trial.—
Daniel Arkin,
NBC news,
18 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Heads off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heads%20off. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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