ward off

British  

verb

1. (tr, adverb) to turn aside or repel; avert

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ward off Idioms  

1. Turn aside, parry, as in He tried to ward off her blows . [Second half of 1500s]

2. Try to prevent, avert, as in She took vitamin C to ward off a cold . [Mid-1700s]

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Example Sentences

The goal: Ward off big medical expenses like hospital stays.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 8, 2023

He forgot his feverish hallucination that Buck Olney was waiting outside there until he caught Ward off his guard.

From The Ranch at the Wolverine by Bower, B. M.

Allah be near thee how so far thou fare; * Ward off all shifts of      Time, all dangers thwart!

From The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 02 by Burton, Richard Francis, Sir

Ward off fire, water, death, All that threatens life and breath.

From Morning and Evening Prayers for All Days of the Week Together With Confessional, Communion, and Other Prayers and Hymns for Mornings and Evenings, and Other Occasions by Habermann, John

Ward off, O mighty-armed! our fate, And bear up Mandar's threatening weight.”

From The Rámáyan of Válmíki, translated into English verse by Griffith, Ralph T. H. (Ralph Thomas Hotchkin)