fight off
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fight off
To push back or defend against someone or something that is advancing. A noun or pronoun can be used between "fight" and "off." What is the best way to fight off an attacker? If you feel like you're getting a cold, these vitamin C tablets should help you to fight it off.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
fight someone or something off
to repel an attack from someone or something. We fought the enemy attack off, but they returned almost immediately. She fought off the mosquitoes all evening. Jed fought the attacker off.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
fight off
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.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
fight off
v.
To defend against or drive back someone or something, such as a hostile force or an infection: The enemy is advancing, but the troops will fight them off. The doctor told me to rest so I can fight off this cold.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.