We're heading off to Brighton first thing tomorrow.
I'd better head off. (set off / leave) We headed off a disaster. (prevented it — sense)
Common mistake
✗I'd better head off to home.
✓I'd better head off home. / I'd better head off.
No 'to' before 'home' — 'head off home' or just 'head off'.
Tell it apart
I'd better head off.
set off / leave
We headed off a disaster.
prevented it — sense
A friendly, casual way to say you're leaving. Often 'I'd better head off'.Different from 'head out', which is also about leaving but doesn't imply a set destination.
to start going somewhere, especially to leave a place and begin a journey.
I usually head off to work around 8 a.m.
A: Are you leaving already? B: Yeah, I need to head off or I'll miss my train.
If I have an early class, I try to head off before the traffic gets bad.
Common mistake
✗Let's head off the beach.
✓Let's head off to the beach.
'Head off TO a place'. Without 'to' it reads as 'head off' = prevent.
Tell it apart
I'll head off home now.
leave for home
We headed off a crisis.
prevented it
Use 'head off' when you want to say you're about to leave and go somewhere, often for a specific purpose.Not the same as 'head out', which can mean just leaving without a clear destination.
to take action in order to stop something from happening.
The manager tried to head off any complaints by explaining the changes clearly.
A: Why did you send that email so quickly? B: I wanted to head off any confusion about the schedule.
To head off health problems, I try to exercise regularly and eat well.
Common mistake
✗We need to head off from the crisis.
✓We need to head off the crisis.
'Head off + problem' directly (= prevent). 'Head off TO' means leave.
Tell it apart
They headed off a strike.
prevented it
They headed off to lunch.
left
Use 'head off' when you want to talk about stopping a problem or situation before it happens.Different from 'deal with', which means to handle something after it happens.