head off
phrasal verb.phrasal verb. to leave a place to go somewhere else, or to stop someone from going where they want to go.
phrasal verb. to depart for a destination; alternatively, to intercept or divert someone or something to prevent their progress or an unwanted outcome.
It's getting late, so I should head off now.
The police managed to head off the protesters before they reached the main square.
By addressing the technical glitches early in the development cycle, the team was able to head off a potential disaster during the product launch.
when meaning 'to leave', it is intransitive; when meaning 'to intercept', it requires an object.
distinguish between the intransitive sense of departure and the transitive sense of prevention; the latter often collocates with 'problems' or 'disasters'.
I will head off the office at five.I will head off at five.when 'head off' means to leave, it does not take a direct object of the place; use 'head for' or 'leave' instead.
Last updated April 24, 2026