fight off

phrasal verb

fought off; fighting off; fights off

: to defend oneself against (someone or something) by fighting or struggling : to avoid being harmed or overcome by (someone or something) by fighting or struggling

They fought off the attack/attackers.

I'm trying to fight off a cold.

Examples of fight off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

When exposed, the body may fight off the germ, or the germ may infect the throat, lungs, stomach, intestines, ears, or nervous system. —

Heidi Moawad, Verywell Health, 18 Jan. 2025 Other studies revealed that some people naturally shed large amounts of virus and that people’s bodies fight off infection by increasing an immune pathway called the interferon response, providing a potential target mechanism to help reduce transmission and disease. —

Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Jan. 2025 Shaw had been fighting off flames that had engulfed his family’s home of nearly 55 years on Tuesday, Jan. 7, according to KTLA-TV. —

Anna Lazarus Caplan, People.com, 9 Jan. 2025 The International Longshoremen’s Association is fighting off automation at ports from Maine to Texas. —

Evan Clark, WWD, 6 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for fight off