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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

But I wasn’t flashing a pad as my colleague across the aisle from me was doing to ward off any intrusions.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2026

Bournemouth are reportedly set to, external open contract talks with Iraola in an effort to ward off interest from Crystal Palace, Tottenham and Manchester United.

From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026

An increase in plankton in the water drawn from the boreholes around the ship—a sure sign of approaching spring—didn’t ward off the suspense that all the men now felt.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong

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.