fight off

phrasal verb

fought off; fighting off; fights off

: to defend oneself against (someone or something) by fighting or struggling : to avoid being harmed or overcome by (someone or something) by fighting or struggling

They fought off the attack/attackers.

I'm trying to fight off a cold.

Examples of fight off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Yet House leadership fought off an attempt to at least sanction him, instead adopting a delay tactic of initiating another ethics investigation. —Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2026

Fights colds The antiviral properties in oregano oil help keep your immune system strong enough to fight off any colds that blow through. —Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 5 Feb. 2026

Discovering a site like this allows archaeologists to further understand the culture and society of early medieval England, when the country was fragmented into several kingdoms but rulers like Offa were beginning to unify it and Alfred the Great was fighting off Viking invaders. —Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 4 Feb. 2026

Lilly has also been more proactive in fighting off copycat competition. —Bloomberg Wire, Dallas Morning News, 4 Feb. 2026

Rhymes for fight off

• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff
• playoff