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.

Dictionary Entries Near stave in

Cite this Entry

“Stave in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stave%20in. Accessed 24 Mar. 2023.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!


Which Came First?

  • baby chick with a brown egg
  • hot take or cold shoulder?
True or False

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ
Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can with using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.

Can you make 12 words with 7 letters?

PLAY