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ward off

British  

verb

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

"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
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]

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.

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

The new deadline to ward off escalation is Friday, when some 2,200 Marines are due to arrive in the region.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 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

Gulf states are directing their systems towards their own shores to ward off Iran's satellite-guided Shahed drones -- at the cost, deemed acceptable, of disrupting their own lives.

From Barron's • Mar. 8, 2026

When the train slows, they jog alongside to ward off the cold.

From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario

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.