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definitions

fight off

verb (tr, adverb)

to repulse; repel
to struggle to avoid or repressto fight off a cold

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RELATED WORDS

resist, repel, overthrow, rebuff, retaliate, rebut, nix, reject, check, defeat, heave-ho, contain, control, curb, oppose, reply, repress, repulse, restrain

Nearby words

  1. figgy,
  2. fight,
  3. fight back,
  4. fight fire with fire,
  5. fight it out,
  6. fight or flight reaction,
  7. fight shy of,
  8. fight tooth and nail,
  9. fight-or-flight,
  10. fight-or-flight reaction
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Idioms and Phrases with fight off

fight off

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.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.