head off

phraseB22 meaningsNot compared — the two pools are counted one word at a time, so a phrase has no score

To head off something is to stop it before it can happen. Getting in front of it and turning it aside.

The image is from herding, where you head off an animal by getting ahead of it. It splits round an object, and heading off a crisis, a question or a rebellion all mean preventing them in advance. There is a completely separate and very common sense meaning to leave, since heading off home is what people say when a party is winding down.

Definitions of head off

1phrasehead offTo prevent something by acting in advance.B2
“They hoped to head off the complaint before it reached the board.”
2phrasesetTo set off or depart.B2
“We should head off before the traffic starts.”

Practised in Phrasal Verbs, A Man Called Ove

First appears in chapter 6 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word

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head off

phraseB22 meaningsNot compared — the two pools are counted one word at a time, so a phrase has no score

To head off something is to stop it before it can happen. Getting in front of it and turning it aside.

Definitions of head off

1phrasehead offTo prevent something by acting in advance.B2
“They hoped to head off the complaint before it reached the board.”
2phrasesetTo set off or depart.B2
“We should head off before the traffic starts.”

Practised in Phrasal Verbs, A Man Called Ove

First appears in chapter 6 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word