Idiom: ward off something/someone
Meaning
Idiom: ward off something/someone (ward something/someone off)
- to try to keep something/someone harmful away
Note: This is also a phrasal verb.
Example sentences
— We keep the lights on our porch at night to ward off burglars.
— This ointment is fantastic for warding off mosquitoes.
— I would always lose weight and gain it back. My therapist helped me understand that I was trying to ward men off by being fat because of trauma from my childhood.
— We need all of our citizens to wear masks to help us ward off the Coronavirus.
— Many people hang an "evil eye" above the door of their homes to ward off evil spirits and bad luck.
— Farmers use scarecrows, objects that look like a person, to ward off crows and other birds from eating their crops.
— The autopsy showed the victim used her arms to try to ward off the blows from the killer.
— Spraying mace warded off the robber, giving my mother the chance to run away and scream for help.
— Is garlic really powerful enough to ward vampires off?
— I have a final exam tomorrow so I'm warding this cold off with heavy doses of vitamin C and every cold remedy I can find.
— She's beautiful, smart and has a great figure but her desperation to get married and a have a baby wards off every potential boyfriend.
— This is the best spray to ward off mosquitos. It also has a very light scent.
Synonyms
- fend off
- stave off
- head off
- keep at bay
- fight off
- keep at arm's length
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