stanch

play

verb \ ˈstȯnch , ˈstänch , ˈstanch \

variants: or staunch play \ˈstȯnch, ˈstänch\

Definition of stanch

transitive verb

1 :to check or stop the flowing of

stanched her tears

; also :to stop the flow of blood from (a wound)

2 archaic :allay, extinguish

3 a :to stop or check in its course

trying to stanch the crime wave

b :to make watertight :stop up

—

stancher

noun

See stanch defined for English-language learners

See stanch defined for kids

stanch was our Word of the Day on 10/07/2009. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of stanch from the Web

Now that vital flow could be stanched if, as industry leaders fear, President Donald Trump’s administration embargoes imports to pressure his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro.

— alex nussbaum, Bloomberg.com, "As Venezuela Spirals, U.S. Oil Confronts a $10 Billion Threat," 3 Aug. 2017
Those include just how much leverage the US retains to stanch bloodletting and coax the parties back from the brink.

— howard lafranchi, The Christian Science Monitor, "What US response to Jerusalem crisis says about Trump-era Mideast diplomacy," 25 July 2017
The recruiting effort, coupled with a blitz of radio commercials, aims to stanch three straight years of enrollment declines.

— tim prudente, baltimoresun.com, "Knocking on doors to lure Baltimore kids back to school," 3 July 2017
Perhaps more important, Uber is under incredible pressure to boost employee morale and stanch an executive exodus that has left the company’s leadership ranks dangerously depleted.

— maya kosoff, The Hive, "Uber’s Travis Kalanick Takes a Dive," 13 June 2017
Another man outside the MAX was trying to stanch the bleeding from his neck, Blackwood said.

— eder campuzano | the oregonian/oregonlive, NOLA.com, "Portland train stabbing: Man saw teens, one with hijab, then launched into racial tirade," 26 May 2017
Another man outside the MAX was trying to stanch the bleeding from his neck, Blackwood said.

— eder campuzano, OregonLive.com, "Man saw teenagers, one with hijab, and launched into racial tirade," 26 May 2017
Another man outside the MAX was trying to stanch the bleeding from his neck, Blackwood said.

— eder campuzano, cleveland.com, "Portland train stabbing: Man saw teens, one with hijab, then launched into racial tirade," 26 May 2017
Interviews with nearly a dozen lawmakers involved in the negotiations reveal that Democrats and moderate Republicans were on the edge of a deal that could have stanched the bloodletting.

— brandi grissom and james barragán, star-telegram, "How a deal to soften the ‘sanctuary cities’ bill fell apart in a political bloodbath," 3 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stanch.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

The verb "stanch" has a lot in common with the adjective staunch, meaning "steadfast." Not only do both words derive from the Anglo-French word estancher (which has the same meaning as "stanch"), but the spelling "s-t-a-n-c-h" is sometimes used for the adjective, and the spelling "s-t-a-u-n-c-h" is sometimes used for the verb. Although both spelling variants have been in reputable use for centuries and both are perfectly standard for either the verb or adjective, "stanch" is the form used most often for the verb and "staunch" is the most common variant for the adjective.