staving off

verb

present participle of stave off
1
as in turning back
to drive back managed to stave off the invaders

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in preventing
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 staving 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 The summer of 2025 was consumed by Newcastle (unsuccessfully) staving off interest in Alexander Isak. — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026 The Kansas City City Council approved a trio of ordinances on Thursday aimed at vacant properties that become nuisances and staving off demolition of historic buildings. — Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026 Of course, creating a culture of openness and respectful debate requires more than staving off government interference. — Annabelle Garland, The Atlantic, 23 July 2026 This latest heist recalls the brazen, daytime Louvre theft of France’s Crown Jewels in October, which, despite putting the country’s museums on relatively higher alert, does not appear to be staving off a spate of recent thefts. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 6 July 2026 Therefore, building mental endurance is essential to staving off decision fatigue and reducing the judgment errors that tend to surface when a leader's cognitive reserves run low. — Julian Hayes Ii, Forbes.com, 24 June 2026 But in the group stage of the competition, Gollner says awarding a point for a tie acknowledges the effort inherent in staving off defeat. — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 24 June 2026 Pavers or concrete designed to mimic natural stone slabs visually break up the surface, staving off parking lot connotations. — Marisa Suzanne Martin, The Spruce, 21 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for staving off
  1. turning back
  2. preventing
  3. turning away
  4. averting
  5. repelling
  6. heading off
  7. resisting
  8. repulsing
Verb
  • Cubans are planning their lives around the lights turning back on.
    — Andrea Rodriguez, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026
  • At times, they were seen swerving around other drivers and driving at speeds up to 95 miles per hour in the northbound lanes before getting onto the westbound I-10, exiting near downtown and then turning back toward Boyle Heights on surface streets.
    — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of turning back
Verb
  • Pharmaceutical giants Moderna and Merck said Wednesday that an experimental vaccine treatment has shown signs of preventing cancer from returning or spreading in a study of high-risk melanoma patients.
    — Aria Bendix, NBC news, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The display defied restrictions preventing Israeli participants from competing under their national flag.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of preventing
Verb
  • Programs like the Pentagon’s Replicator initiative, which funded over 100 companies, two-thirds of them small businesses, while turning away over 300, illustrate that fierce, Darwinian competition is both inevitable and healthy in this sector.
    — Doug Beck, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The construction activity prompted protests in and around the national park, and local businesses have been turning away federal contractors who are working on the project.
    — Ashley Killough, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of turning away
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
  • America’s greatest rival is single-handedly averting a global energy crisis.
    — Rogé Karma, The Atlantic, 29 July 2026
Definition of averting
Verb
  • The Build Forward Ukraine team was also aware of Irpin and the special role the city had played in the dark early days, repelling the Russian ground offensive aimed at taking Kyiv, 14 miles south.
    — Howard LaFranchi, Christian Science Monitor, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The meager platoon was a consolation from Lord Borros, who claims to be too busy repelling the Dornish to come to his queen’s aid.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 27 July 2026
Definition of repelling
Verb
  • This fall, Underscores is heading off on tour in support of Charli xcx—the perfect end to a banner year.
    — Vogue, Vogue, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Giada De Laurentiis’s daughter, Jade, is heading off to college—New York University, specifically—and the chef and her ex-husband Todd Thompson reunited to celebrate the milestone.
    — Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of heading off
Verb
  • The gloves must touch someone’s skin directly to produce voltage that causes pain, which is intended to make people stop resisting officers.
    — Kathy McCormack, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Asking about being alone with a Haitian, for instance, prompted a quick lecture on resisting the forces of prejudice.
    — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of resisting
Verb
  • While there are dismemberments and other bits of gruesome violence to be found in the film, Badlands is largely aimed at endearing its audience rather than repulsing them.
    — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 4 Nov. 2025
Definition of repulsing

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staves off
staving off
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Cite this Entry

“Staving off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/staving%20off. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of staving off for Spanish Speakers

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