head off

phrasal-verb
UK: /ˌhed ˈɒf/
US: /ˌhed ˈɔːf/

  1. To prevent someone or something from going to a particular place.

    1. We must head off the crowd before they get here. [ ] [ ]
    2. The police managed to head off the protesters before they reached the embassy. [ ] [ ]

  2. To start a journey or leave a place.

    1. I'm going to head off to the store now. [ ] [ ]
    2. We should head off early to avoid the traffic on the highway. [ ] [ ]

  3. To avert or prevent something from happening.

    1. They hope to head off a crisis. [ ] [ ]
    2. The company took measures to head off potential lawsuits. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

intercept divert leave depart prevent avoid

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "head off" in English means: To prevent someone or something from going to a particular place., To start a journey or leave a place., To avert or prevent something from happening..

The phonetic transcription of "head off" is /ˌhed ˈɒf/ in British English and /ˌhed ˈɔːf/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "head off": intercept, divert, leave, depart, prevent, avoid.

Example usage of "head off": "We must head off the crowd before they get here.". More examples on the page.