Akademik

ward off
verb
1. prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening
-

Let's avoid a confrontation

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head off a confrontation

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avert a strike

• Syn:
↑debar, ↑forefend, ↑forfend, ↑obviate, ↑deflect, ↑avert, ↑head off, ↑stave off, ↑fend off, ↑avoid
• Derivationally related forms: ↑avoidable (for: ↑avoid), ↑avertible (for: ↑avert), ↑avertable (for: ↑avert), ↑obviation (for: ↑obviate)
• Hypernyms: ↑prevent, ↑forestall, ↑foreclose, ↑preclude, ↑forbid
• Verb Frames:
-

Somebody ——s something

-

Something ——s something

2. avert, turn away, or repel
-

Ward off danger

• Hypernyms: ↑defend
• Verb Frames:
-

Somebody ——s something

-

Somebody ——s somebody

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[verb]
repel, avert, avoid, deflect, fend off, parry, stave off

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ˌward ˈoff [transitive] [present tense I/you/we/they ward off he/she/it wards off present participle warding off past tense warded off past participle warded off] phrasal verb
to do something to prevent someone or something from harming you

Sheila carried a knife to ward off attacks.

Thesaurus: to defend or protect yourselfsynonym
Main entry: ward

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ward off [phrasal verb]
ward (something) off or ward off (something) : to avoid being hit by (something)

ward off a blow

— often used figuratively

I tried different remedies to ward off a cold.

• • •
Main Entry: ↑ward

Useful english dictionary. 2012.