ward off
phrasal verb
warded off; warding off; wards off
: to avoid being hit by (something)
ward off a blow
—often used figurativelyI tried different remedies to ward off a cold.
Examples of ward off in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Central banks raised rates to ward off inflation, prompting money-losing cloud companies to focus more on profitability.
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Jordan Novet, CNBC, 5 Sep. 2024
In ancient Rome and Greece, members of the elite would wear sapphires to ward off harm and envy, according to the Institute.
—Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 1 Sep. 2024
Rosenthal, of The Organizing Group, said the shift in Kelly's position warded off a concerted opposition campaign from organized labor.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 26 July 2024
The director insisted that purposely keeping budgets low on his films was a way to ward off meddling from his financiers.
—Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 18 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ward off 
Jordan Novet, CNBC, 5 Sep. 2024
In ancient Rome and Greece, members of the elite would wear sapphires to ward off harm and envy, according to the Institute.
—Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 1 Sep. 2024
Rosenthal, of The Organizing Group, said the shift in Kelly's position warded off a concerted opposition campaign from organized labor.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 26 July 2024
The director insisted that purposely keeping budgets low on his films was a way to ward off meddling from his financiers.
—Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 18 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ward off
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ward off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Ward off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ward%20off. Accessed 22 Sep. 2024.
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