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ward off
ward someone or something off
to hold someone or something off; to fight someone or something off. The army was able to ward the attackers off repeatedly. We couldn't ward off the attackers any longer.
ward off somebody/something
also ward somebody/something off to try to keep away someone or something that would hurt you He raised his arm at the elbow to ward off the blow. They have a a€?No Trespassinga€? sign out front to ward off anyone who happens by. She often gets headaches, so she carries a bit of fresh ginger wherever she goes to ward them off.
Related vocabulary: fend off somebody ward off
1. Turn aside, parry, as in He tried to ward off her blows. [Second half of 1500s]
2. Try to prevent, avert, as in She took vitamin C to ward off a cold. [Mid-1700s]
ward off
v.1. To try to prevent; avert: You should take vitamins to ward off infections.
2. To turn something aside; repel: The champion boxer warded off the opponent's blows. The flies were annoying me, but I warded them off.
Common Names:
Name | Gender | Pronounced | Usage |
Adelais | | - | Ancient Germanic |
Gamil | | - | Arabic (Egyptian) |
Damir | | DAH-meer (Croatian, Serbian) | Croatian, Serbian, Slovene |
JevgeŅIja | | - | Latvian |
Juvela | | yoo-VE-lah | Esperanto |
Dave | | DAYV | English |