as in to prevent
to keep from happening by taking action in advance
if we act quickly, we may still be able to head off disaster
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Recent Examples of head off
Blips abounded before a sellout crowd, both from stretches of suspect game management and poor puck luck, leaving the Ducks with one point before heading off on a season-long, six-game road trip.
—
Andrew Knoll, Orange County Register, 8 Jan. 2025
This seems designed to head off accusations that clubs can boost their balance sheet for PSR (profit and sustainability rules) or SCMP (Salary Cost Management Protocol) purposes.
—Richard Sutcliffe, The Athletic, 13 Jan. 2025
Ravi Parikh, an Emory University oncologist who was the study's lead author, told KFF Health News the tool failed hundreds of times to prompt doctors to initiate that important discussion -- possibly heading off unnecessary chemotherapy -- with patients who needed it.
—Darius Tahir | Kff Health News, ABC News, 10 Jan. 2025
Donnie has headed off to Brussels for a new scheme with a new den of thieves from the Balkans known as the Panthers, teaming with crafty Jovanna (Evin Ahmad) and her cohorts Dragon (Orli Shuka) and Slavko (Salvatore Esposito) on a new heist for a treasure trove of jewels.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for head off 
Andrew Knoll, Orange County Register, 8 Jan. 2025
This seems designed to head off accusations that clubs can boost their balance sheet for PSR (profit and sustainability rules) or SCMP (Salary Cost Management Protocol) purposes.
—Richard Sutcliffe, The Athletic, 13 Jan. 2025
Ravi Parikh, an Emory University oncologist who was the study's lead author, told KFF Health News the tool failed hundreds of times to prompt doctors to initiate that important discussion -- possibly heading off unnecessary chemotherapy -- with patients who needed it.
—Darius Tahir | Kff Health News, ABC News, 10 Jan. 2025
Donnie has headed off to Brussels for a new scheme with a new den of thieves from the Balkans known as the Panthers, teaming with crafty Jovanna (Evin Ahmad) and her cohorts Dragon (Orli Shuka) and Slavko (Salvatore Esposito) on a new heist for a treasure trove of jewels.
—Pete Hammond, Deadline, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for head off
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Cite this Entry
“Head off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/head%20off. Accessed 31 Jan. 2025.
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