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
Getting adequate protein can help stave off hunger after meals, reducing the tendency to snack.
—
Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 24 Apr. 2024
They can be used to alleviate tinnitus, and there is strong evidence that hearing aids can stave off dementia in people suffering from hearing loss.
—Christopher Null, WIRED, 20 Apr. 2024
The drug, a mix of amphetamines and caffeine, has become especially popular in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, where laborers and partiers use it to stave off hunger and sleep.
—Vanda Felbab-Brown, Foreign Affairs, 11 Apr. 2024
The Grammy winner prefers her venues warm to preserve her voice and stave off injuries.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2024
And even though passing CRs staves off government shutdowns, operating under short-term funding has costly, wide-ranging impacts on federal operations.
—Tia Yang, ABC News, 5 Apr. 2024
Garrick reported that reforms proposed by the current La Jolla planning group staved off more sweeping action.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Mar. 2024
In July, the utility’s shareholders agreed to pour an extra £750 million ($945 million) into the company before March 2025 to stave off a temporary takeover by the government.
—Anna Cooban, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
No Israeli effort to stave off an Iranian threat, much less defeat Hamas for good, can succeed without a strong humanitarian aid component.
—Shira Efron, Foreign Affairs, 15 Apr. 2024
Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 24 Apr. 2024
They can be used to alleviate tinnitus, and there is strong evidence that hearing aids can stave off dementia in people suffering from hearing loss.
—Christopher Null, WIRED, 20 Apr. 2024
The drug, a mix of amphetamines and caffeine, has become especially popular in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, where laborers and partiers use it to stave off hunger and sleep.
—Vanda Felbab-Brown, Foreign Affairs, 11 Apr. 2024
The Grammy winner prefers her venues warm to preserve her voice and stave off injuries.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2024
And even though passing CRs staves off government shutdowns, operating under short-term funding has costly, wide-ranging impacts on federal operations.
—Tia Yang, ABC News, 5 Apr. 2024
Garrick reported that reforms proposed by the current La Jolla planning group staved off more sweeping action.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Mar. 2024
In July, the utility’s shareholders agreed to pour an extra £750 million ($945 million) into the company before March 2025 to stave off a temporary takeover by the government.
—Anna Cooban, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
No Israeli effort to stave off an Iranian threat, much less defeat Hamas for good, can succeed without a strong humanitarian aid component.
—Shira Efron, Foreign Affairs, 15 Apr. 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 2 May. 2024.
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