fight off
To successfully stop someone or something from harming you by fighting hard.
Meanings
To defend yourself successfully against a physical attacker by fighting.
"She managed to fight off her assailant and escape."
To overcome or recover from an illness or infection.
"It took him two weeks to fight off the infection."
To resist or overcome a competitor, challenge, or rival successfully.
"The champion fought off a strong challenge from the young contender to retain his title."
Used in physical, medical, and figurative contexts. Very common in sports reporting ('fight off a challenge') and health contexts ('fight off a cold'). Implies success — the threat is repelled. Compare with 'fight back', which focuses on the resistance, not necessarily the outcome.
Commonly used with
Forms
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