stave off
verb
staved off; staving off; staves off
1
: to fend off
staving off creditors
2
: to ward off (something adverse) : forestall
trying to stave off disaster
Synonyms
Examples of stave off in a Sentence
managed to stave off the invaders
the quartermaster staved off a shortage by requisitioning more than enough supplies
Recent Examples on the Web
To stave off boredom, Richter recommends packing games— like a pair of dice or a deck of cards—to pass the time while traveling.
—
Simmone Shah, TIME, 23 May 2024
Highlighting reproductive rights and Republicans’ opposition to measures to protect them helped stave off big G.O.P. gains that had been predicted in the midterm elections that year.
—Annie Karni, New York Times, 22 May 2024
Consumer spending and job gains, while slowing, also remain robust enough to stave off a prolonged slump even as the Federal Reserve pushes back its timeline for cutting its benchmark interest rate.
—Kate Gibson, CBS News, 16 May 2024
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended this week that dairy and poultry farms with infected animals supply protective gear to workers in a bid to stave off human transmission of the H5N1 virus.
—Sarah Owermohle, STAT, 10 May 2024
For that reason — and to stave off repercussions from university officials —many students in Pro-Palestinian encampents around the country this week have also been masked.
—Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024
There are two bags at first base — one each for the runner and fielder — to stave off collisions.
—Mike Klingaman, Baltimore Sun, 9 Apr. 2024
Only a few trucks have entered Gaza from a northern border crossing, far short of the amount needed to stave off hunger and starvation, according to aid groups.
—Vincent Ni, NPR, 11 May 2024
Image While aid deliveries rose in April and the first days of May, before the Rafah operation, aid groups said Israel was not allowing nearly enough into Gaza to stave off famine or the collapse of the health care and sanitation systems.
—Raja Abdulrahim, New York Times, 10 May 2024
Simmone Shah, TIME, 23 May 2024
Highlighting reproductive rights and Republicans’ opposition to measures to protect them helped stave off big G.O.P. gains that had been predicted in the midterm elections that year.
—Annie Karni, New York Times, 22 May 2024
Consumer spending and job gains, while slowing, also remain robust enough to stave off a prolonged slump even as the Federal Reserve pushes back its timeline for cutting its benchmark interest rate.
—Kate Gibson, CBS News, 16 May 2024
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended this week that dairy and poultry farms with infected animals supply protective gear to workers in a bid to stave off human transmission of the H5N1 virus.
—Sarah Owermohle, STAT, 10 May 2024
For that reason — and to stave off repercussions from university officials —many students in Pro-Palestinian encampents around the country this week have also been masked.
—Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024
There are two bags at first base — one each for the runner and fielder — to stave off collisions.
—Mike Klingaman, Baltimore Sun, 9 Apr. 2024
Only a few trucks have entered Gaza from a northern border crossing, far short of the amount needed to stave off hunger and starvation, according to aid groups.
—Vincent Ni, NPR, 11 May 2024
Image While aid deliveries rose in April and the first days of May, before the Rafah operation, aid groups said Israel was not allowing nearly enough into Gaza to stave off famine or the collapse of the health care and sanitation systems.
—Raja Abdulrahim, New York Times, 10 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stave off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near stave off
Cite this Entry
“Stave off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stave%20off. Accessed 28 May. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share