fight off

verb

1. to repulse; repel
2. to struggle to avoid or repress

   to fight off a cold

Idioms and Phrases

Defend against, drive back, as in I've been fighting off a cold all week . This figurative use of the term, originally meaning “to repel an enemy” dates from the early 1800s.

Example Sentences

Inside were the same fishermen who were so apathetic about the fight off-shore.

From Project Gutenberg