stave in

phrasal verb

staved in; staving in; staves in
: to be broken or crushed inward or to break or crush (something) inward
The hull of the boat stove in when it hit the rocks.
The rocks stove in the hull of the boat.

Examples of stave in in a Sentence

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An expert cooper can hammer together more than 30 staves in as little as 90 seconds, Heaven Hill Distillery stated in an article about the process of making barrels. Leo Bertucci, Louisville Courier Journal, 17 Jan. 2025

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“Stave in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stave%20in. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.

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