fight off

verb

to repulse; repel
to struggle to avoid or repress
to fight off a cold

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Idioms and Phrases

Defend against, drive back, as in I've been fighting off a cold all week. This figurative use of the term, originally meaning “to repel an enemy” dates from the early 1800s.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Health experts says the vaccine - which immunises people against measles, mumps and rubella - is 97% effective in fighting off the dangerous virus.

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Now her immediate goal is to fight off charges that could put her in prison for several years.

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So, even if Trump wins the current case, he may still have to fight off other legal challenges.

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She and her husband fought off three attackers until passers-by rushed to their aid and the men fled in a van.

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And so, aviation mayhem ensues, as Lucas fights off a coterie of bad guys through a haze of drugs and liquor.

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fight it out fight-or-flight

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