stave off

verb

Definition of stave offnext
1
as in to repel
to drive back managed to stave off the invaders

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to prevent
to keep from happening by taking action in advance the quartermaster staved off a shortage by requisitioning more than enough supplies

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of stave off The question of whether to allow recording devices to make official legal transcripts has long been debated in California, where organizations representing court reporters have succeeded in staving off such changes. — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 11 Aug. 2026 To help stave off the worst of the cuts, California legislators fought for $250 million to help support public hospitals. — Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 10 Aug. 2026 Those measures haven’t shown the same benefits for working-age adults, who are more likely to turn to illicit drugs for pain relief or to stave off withdrawal than for experimentation, Raville said. — Meg Wingerter, Denver Post, 9 Aug. 2026 Save the endowment, rather than lose it in trying to stave off an institutional death spiral. — Jim Nowlan, Chicago Tribune, 9 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for stave off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stave off
  1. repel
  2. prevent
  3. resist
  4. avert
  5. turn back
  6. head off
  7. turn away
  8. repulse
Verb
  • Baking soda mixed with powdered sugar can repel ants and cockroaches.
    — Ashley Chalmers, The Spruce, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The narrator, though curious to speak herself, is finally repelled.
    — Maya Binyam, New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of repel
Verb
  • Los Angeles City Council members on Tuesday approved a resolution to remove 12 anti-camping zones around Hollywood, ending a years-long ban that prevented people from sitting, sleeping or camping in certain areas.
    — Brittney Ermon, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Beijing has helped prevent oil prices from spiking to $150 a barrel by slashing its oil imports beyond what many thought possible.
    — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of prevent
Verb
  • Compounding the crisis is the fact that airlines are actively resisting standardization in a bid to outdo each other.
    — Edward Russell, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
  • For instance, as a Christian, I am called to vote for doing justice, making peace, loving mercy, being humble, doing good and resisting evil and, most of all, loving my neighbor, whoever that is.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of resist
Verb
  • The first step in averting this spiral toward catastrophe is for both Beijing and Washington to bear in mind that these economic tools were not designed as weapons.
    — GLORIA XIONG, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
  • But some experts believe a new strategy emerging from his administration could avert a more consequential defeat.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of avert
Verb
  • Then, the pressure is released so that DME turns back into a gas, leaving the water in the tank.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The fire turned back into California late Thursday morning, burning in Lassen County just above the Sierra County line, fire maps showed.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of turn back
Verb
  • He was dedicated to the sport and competed regionally and locally in the Midwest, winning competitions before heading off to college.
    — Marissa Sulek, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Both countries had incentives to head off an escalation in trade tensions.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of head off
Verb
  • Hugo Lloris turned away one shot for LAFC (10-6-4), which had piled up 11 goals in its previous four matches.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Your building staff has been instructed to refuse entry to City inspectors sent to investigate these complaints, as we are constantly turned away.
    — Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of turn away
Verb
  • Most Americans are repulsed by the core ideas of radical leftists.
    — Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Philly may be shedding its second-fiddle status, but it remains entirely repulsed by frauds and underachievers.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 24 July 2026
Definition of repulse

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staved off
stave off
staves off
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Cite this Entry

“Stave off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stave%20off. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on stave off

Nglish: Translation of stave off for Spanish Speakers

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