1
: any of the narrow strips of wood or narrow iron plates placed edge to edge to form the sides, covering, or lining of a vessel (such as a barrel) or structure
4
staved or stove
ˈstōv 
; staving
; staving
1
: to smash a hole in
stove in the boat
also
: to crush or break inward
staved in several ribs
2
: to break in the staves of (a cask)
3
: to drive or thrust away
1
: to walk or move rapidly
2
archaic
: to become stove in
—used of a boat or ship
Examples of stave in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 14 Nov. 2023
Next the staves were steamed to become more flexible and flattened into boards.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 28 July 2023
Step 2: Shape the Bow Roughly shape your bow from the green stave.
—Keith McCafferty, Field & Stream, 29 June 2023
Merrimack + Stranahan’s Blue Peak Canoe is custom-built from barrel staves, metal hoops, and lids into a 14 foot, six inch, Tennessean Tandem/Solo canoe, one of the company’s signature designs.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 28 July 2023
Previous iterations of malt whiskey have appeared as components of Little Book Chapter Six, but those were younger whiskeys that were finished with different barrel staves.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 16 May 2023
If there is a natural curve to the stave, choose the outside of the curve as the belly because pulling the bow against the curve will add power.
—Keith McCafferty, Field & Stream, 29 June 2023
The barrels were made from trees harvested in northern Spain, which were cut into staves and seasoned outdoors before being assembled into barrels.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 18 June 2023
Each expression in the collection started with a traditional Maker’s Mark that had been aged a second time filling a barrel with a variety of staves toasted at different levels.
—Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, 20 Apr. 2023
Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 30 Oct. 2023
There are precious few legislative days left for both chambers this month, and none of the appropriations bills that need to be signed into law to stave out a shutdown have passed both chambers (in fact, just one, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, has passed the House).
—Rebecca Kaplan, NBC News, 13 Sep. 2023
This is why studies suggest a person who challenges themselves mentally through puzzles or language learning could stave it off.
—Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 8 May 2023
Wood stave finishing is a technique used by other brands—Maker’s Mark is perhaps the most famous example with its Maker’s 46 and Wood Finishing Series.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 11 Apr. 2023
All three of these contests are in basically blue states, so if all the Democratic candidates win with a heavy emphasis on bashing their opponents on dealing with COVID that still might not be enough to stave of what could be a disastrous midterm election.
—Daniel Strauss, The New Republic, 16 Sep. 2021
To see if there was a way to stave that off, the researchers created a model that would stabilize the ice sheet.
—Roni Dengler, Discover Magazine, 17 July 2019
The rhythm elements help stave this off a bit but also take some of the bite out of a traditionally challenging genre.
—Brittany Vincent, Rolling Stone, 8 Feb. 2023
Toward the end of the process, stave No. 90 ended up being one of my favorites, but early on it was among the underdogs.
—Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, 7 Mar. 2022
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Noun
Coffee Liqueur staves and one-third Blood Orange Coffee Liqueur staves, a limited release from Laurel Canyon Spirits.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 14 Nov. 2023
Next the staves were steamed to become more flexible and flattened into boards.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 28 July 2023
Step 2: Shape the Bow Roughly shape your bow from the green stave.
—Keith McCafferty, Field & Stream, 29 June 2023
Merrimack + Stranahan’s Blue Peak Canoe is custom-built from barrel staves, metal hoops, and lids into a 14 foot, six inch, Tennessean Tandem/Solo canoe, one of the company’s signature designs.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 28 July 2023
Previous iterations of malt whiskey have appeared as components of Little Book Chapter Six, but those were younger whiskeys that were finished with different barrel staves.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 16 May 2023
If there is a natural curve to the stave, choose the outside of the curve as the belly because pulling the bow against the curve will add power.
—Keith McCafferty, Field & Stream, 29 June 2023
The barrels were made from trees harvested in northern Spain, which were cut into staves and seasoned outdoors before being assembled into barrels.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 18 June 2023
Each expression in the collection started with a traditional Maker’s Mark that had been aged a second time filling a barrel with a variety of staves toasted at different levels.
—Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, 20 Apr. 2023
Verb
So restaurants stave them off with bread and salads until their orders are ready.
—Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 30 Oct. 2023
There are precious few legislative days left for both chambers this month, and none of the appropriations bills that need to be signed into law to stave out a shutdown have passed both chambers (in fact, just one, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, has passed the House).
—Rebecca Kaplan, NBC News, 13 Sep. 2023
This is why studies suggest a person who challenges themselves mentally through puzzles or language learning could stave it off.
—Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 8 May 2023
Wood stave finishing is a technique used by other brands—Maker’s Mark is perhaps the most famous example with its Maker’s 46 and Wood Finishing Series.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 11 Apr. 2023
All three of these contests are in basically blue states, so if all the Democratic candidates win with a heavy emphasis on bashing their opponents on dealing with COVID that still might not be enough to stave of what could be a disastrous midterm election.
—Daniel Strauss, The New Republic, 16 Sep. 2021
To see if there was a way to stave that off, the researchers created a model that would stabilize the ice sheet.
—Roni Dengler, Discover Magazine, 17 July 2019
The rhythm elements help stave this off a bit but also take some of the bite out of a traditionally challenging genre.
—Brittany Vincent, Rolling Stone, 8 Feb. 2023
Toward the end of the process, stave No. 90 ended up being one of my favorites, but early on it was among the underdogs.
—Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, 7 Mar. 2022
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stave.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English, back-formation from staves, plural of staf staff
First Known Use
Noun
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Verb
circa 1595, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2
Time Traveler
The first known use of stave was
in the 13th century
Phrases Containing stave
Dictionary Entries Near stave
Cite this Entry
“Stave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stave. Accessed 7 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
stave
1 of 2 noun1
: a wooden stick
2
: one of the narrow strips of wood or iron plates placed edge to edge to form the sides, covering, or lining of a vessel (as a barrel or cask) or structure
3
: stanza
stave
2 of 2 verb
staved or stove
ˈstōv
; staving
; staving
1
: to break in the staves of (a cask)
2
: to smash a hole in
stave in a boat
More from Merriam-Webster on stave
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for stave
Nglish: Translation of stave for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of stave for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about stave
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