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
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 these fears, Anthropic is allowing certain tech firms to access Mythos.
—
Justin Klawans, TheWeek, 9 Apr. 2026
Kansas City voters overwhelmingly renewed the city’s 1% earnings tax on Tuesday, maintaining a critical funding source for city services and unmistakably staving off concerns that the city’s budget could be thrown into disarray.
—Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2026
That threat, which critics warned could be a war crime if carried out, appears to have been staved off for now.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2026
That threat, which critics warned could be a war crime if carried out, appears to have been staved off for now at the 11th hour.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stave off
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Justin Klawans, TheWeek, 9 Apr. 2026
Kansas City voters overwhelmingly renewed the city’s 1% earnings tax on Tuesday, maintaining a critical funding source for city services and unmistakably staving off concerns that the city’s budget could be thrown into disarray.
—Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2026
That threat, which critics warned could be a war crime if carried out, appears to have been staved off for now.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2026
That threat, which critics warned could be a war crime if carried out, appears to have been staved off for now at the 11th hour.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stave off
Cite this Entry
“Stave off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stave%20off. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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