ward off
Britishverb
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Turn aside, parry, as in He tried to ward off her blows . [Second half of 1500s]
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Try to prevent, avert, as in She took vitamin C to ward off a cold . [Mid-1700s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Wedbush analyst Michael Piccolo said in a note last week that eBay had significant resources at its disposal to ward off any takeover attempt, including the possible adoption of a shareholder-rights plan.
From MarketWatch • May 20, 2026
Western nations including the U.S. built reserves to ward off supply shocks.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026
Scott hopes this shuttling around of his stem cells, a procedure that costs patients $10,000, will rejuvenate his 82-year-old body and ward off the effects of aging.
From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026
Looking to the future, George said he planned to continue his treatment to ward off a relapse, but knows that "MS will take what it wants".
From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026
Ali-Reza was supposed to be the forward for his and Hossein’s team, but Sohrab played so aggressively, Ali-Reza spent most of his time helping Hossein ward off Sohrab’s relentless assaults on their goal.
From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
