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
Use your lip balm for daily protection and a lip mask to help stave off future chapping and irritation.
—
Emily Orofino, Vogue, 21 Oct. 2024
That said, knowing which is your child's top choice can help strengthen your bond and stave off unwelcome behavior.
—Gail Cornwall, Parents, 16 Oct. 2024
Right-wing political power has, over the past half century, turned out to have almost no ability to stave off progressive social change: Nixon took the White House in a landslide while Norman Lear took the airwaves in a ratings sweep.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2024
The movie has, until this point, been rather forthright about the pain of advanced cancer and the treatment that ravages a body in trying to stave off death.
—Eliza Berman, TIME, 11 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stave off 
Emily Orofino, Vogue, 21 Oct. 2024
That said, knowing which is your child's top choice can help strengthen your bond and stave off unwelcome behavior.
—Gail Cornwall, Parents, 16 Oct. 2024
Right-wing political power has, over the past half century, turned out to have almost no ability to stave off progressive social change: Nixon took the White House in a landslide while Norman Lear took the airwaves in a ratings sweep.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2024
The movie has, until this point, been rather forthright about the pain of advanced cancer and the treatment that ravages a body in trying to stave off death.
—Eliza Berman, TIME, 11 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stave off
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 5 Nov. 2024.
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