stave

1 of 2

noun

ˈstāv 

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

2

: staff entry 1 sense 1

3

: staff entry 1 sense 3

4

: stanza sense 1

stave

2 of 2

verb

staved or stove ˈstōv  ; staving

transitive verb

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

intransitive verb

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

Noun

Expectations ran high when, in 1912, a stave mill was established approximately 4 miles south of the town. —Arkansas Online, 12 Apr. 2025

For the final bottling, the extraordinary step was taken to assemble a special barrel using the staves and heads from barrels that aged Chapters 1-5. —Tony Sachs, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025

Verb

Recall that when Covid hit, businesses feared running out of cash and took actions to stave that off. —Sumeet Salwan, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025

The fluctuations are what make watching the 162-game grind all the more fascinating and make those able to stave them off feel greater than mortal. —Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 26 June 2025

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

Phrases Containing stave

• stave in
• stave off

Rhymes for stave

• brave
• cave
• clave
• crave
• fave
• gave
• grave
• knave
• lave
• nave
• pave
• rave

Kids Definition

stave

1 of 2 noun

ˈstāv 

1

: 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

4

: staff entry 1 sense 3

stave

2 of 2 verb

staved or stove ˈstōv  ; staving

1

: to break in the staves of (a cask)

2

: to smash a hole in

stave in a boat