stave off

verb

staved off; staving off; staves off

transitive verb

1

: to fend off

staving off creditors

2

: to ward off (something adverse) : forestall

trying to stave off disaster

Synonyms of stave off

• repel
• resist
• turn back
• fend (off)
• turn away
• repulse
• beat off

Examples of stave off in a Sentence

managed to stave off the invaders

the quartermaster staved off a shortage by requisitioning more than enough supplies

Recent Examples on the Web

They are banged up, which makes clinching the division and staving off the Atlanta Braves for a first-round bye paramount over the season’s final 12 games. — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Saudi Arabia agreed not to retaliate militarily against targets on Iraqi soil, temporarily staving off a regional conflagration. — Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026

The two-day event at the American Airlines Center is the first of its kind and has been touted as a way to rally the base ahead of the midterm elections, when Republicans are hoping to stave off losses in the House and Senate. — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 10 Sep. 2026

Sleep, for instance, isn’t downtime but active maintenance, when the brain flushes out cellular waste in ways that may help stave off dementia. — Andrea Gawrylewski, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for stave off

• cerenkov
• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff

Kids Definition

stave off

verb

: to force or keep away : fend off

stave off trouble