From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishfight somebody/something ↔ off phrasal verb1 VIOLENTto keep someone away, or stop them doing something to you, by fighting or opposing them Bodyguards had to fight off the crowds. The company managed to fight off a takeover attempt.2 to succeed in stopping other people getting something, and to get it for yourself Allan fought off stiff competition from throughout the UK to win one of only four places at the college.3 GET RID OFto try hard to get rid of something, especially an illness or a feeling Elaine’s fighting off a cold. → fight→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
fight off• Did you know that? fight him off.• I've had to fight him off.• Still, it looms as a perverse temptation, and Blue must struggle with himself for some time before fighting it off.• This fight-or - flight response may have helped our ancestors gear up and either get away from danger or fight it off.• Rest of the cast fought him off but the tenor got cut about quite badly and had to go to hospital.• When Foreman hurt his eye in training camp, the fight was put off for five weeks.• I tried to fight it off, of course.• She would never be able to fight him off physically. 