stanch

verb

\ ˈstȯnch

, ˈstänch, ˈstanch\

variants: or staunch \ ˈstȯnch

, ˈstänch \

stanched or staunched; stanching or staunching; stanches or staunches

Definition of stanch

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to check or stop the flowing of stanched her tears also : to stop the flow of blood from (a wound)

2a : to stop or check in its course trying to stanch the crime wave

b : to make watertight : stop up

3 archaic : allay, extinguish

stanch

adjective

\ ˈstȯnch

, ˈstänch, ˈstanch\

less common spelling of staunch entry 2

1 : steadfast in loyalty or principle a staunch friend

2a : watertight, sound

b : strongly built : substantial

Other Words from stanch Staunch and Stanch Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about stanch

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Staunch and Stanch

Both stanch and staunch come from the Anglo-French estancher, meaning “to check or stop the flowing of.” Both have been in use for many hundreds of years. And most dictionaries will list them as having the exact same meaning. They are, in fact, variants of each other. But there's a catch: staunch is more commonly used as an adjective (it has several meanings in this role, including “steadfast in loyalty or principle” and "substantial"), and stanch is more commonly used as a verb (common meanings are "to check or stop the flowing of" and "to stop or check in its course"). Here are example of each in typical use:

a staunch supporter/advocate

staunch resistance/allegiance

to stanch the flow/bleeding

stanching the loss of jobs/revenue

Note that saying that something is more commonly used in some way does not necessarily mean that people who choose to use it in the less common way are wrong. There is a considerable body of evidence, from reputable sources, of staunch and stanch being used in their less common roles.

Some people will tell you that you should always keep these words apart, and if you’d like to do this you may find the following sentence of some assistance in helping you to remember the difference: "A staunch friend would help you stanch a bleeding thumb."

Alternatively, you may rely on the time-honored method of people-who-remember-things-poorly and use this limerick:

Tho’ neither stanch nor staunch must conform
To rigid semantical norm
Some editors will blanch,
When encountering stanch
If it’s used in adjective form

Did You Know?

Verb

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.

Examples of stanch in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Doing so would stymie protestors’ organizational efforts and could stanch the flow of information from the region. — Matthew De Silva, Quartz, "Hong Kong protestors are once again using mesh networks to preempt an internet shutdown," 3 Sep. 2019 Earlier this month, Fed chief Powell, referring to the widening trade war, used similar language in a speech, stanching a stock sell-off and propelling markets higher. — Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, "Are interest rates going down? Trade war, stock market, vulnerable economy may press Fed," 17 June 2019 Foltz pulled Alford behind a nearby rock, stanched his bleeding, and then took over his friend’s weapon. — Matt Viser, BostonGlobe.com, "As he campaigns for president, Joe Biden tells a moving but false war story," 29 Aug. 2019 Foltz pulled Alford behind a nearby rock, stanched his bleeding and then took over his friend's weapon. — Author: Matt Viser, Greg Jaffe, Anchorage Daily News, "As he campaigns for president, Joe Biden tells a moving but false war story," 29 Aug. 2019 The agreement is one of the boldest steps yet taken by President Trump to stanch the flow of migrants to the U.S. border. — Washington Post, "Guatemala's migrant pact with the U.S. threatens to unleash a political crisis," 27 July 2019 If voters approve the measure, specific limits would still be needed to stanch the flow of money. — Rob Davis | The Oregonian/oregonlive, oregonlive.com, "Oregon’s corporate-dominated campaign finance system gets Congress’ attention," 17 July 2019 Iraq is on fire, and Aram Ismail has no idea how to stanch the flames. — Peter Schwartzstein, National Geographic, "Iraq races to save last of Middle East's forests from burning," 22 July 2019 Democrats have struggled to obtain testimony from key witnesses in the Russia investigation, most notably Donald McGahn, the former White House counsel who could provide firsthand accounts of how the president tried to stanch the probe. — Chris Megerian, latimes.com, "House Intelligence Committee subpoenas Michael Flynn and Richard Gates," 13 June 2019

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.