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ward off

phrasal verb

Pronunciation: /wɔːrd ɔːf/

Prevent someone or something from harming or affecting you.

He drank plenty of orange juice to ward off the cold that was going around the office.
The security guard used a flashlight to ward off the intruders lurking in the shadows.
She kept a positive attitude to ward off feelings of anxiety during the difficult project.

ward off [something] (phrasal verb): To prevent a negative thing from affecting you. — "He ate garlic to ward off vampires."
ward off [someone] (phrasal verb): To keep a person away from you. — "She used her umbrella to ward off the aggressive dog."

Words with a similar meaning to ward off:

Words with the opposite meaning to ward off: