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stave off

verb

Definition of stave offnext
1
as in to repel
to drive back managed to stave off the invaders

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to prevent
to keep from happening by taking action in advance the quartermaster staved off a shortage by requisitioning more than enough supplies

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of stave off On Thursday, however, the day Ahmed entered custody in Chicago, prosecutors secured a new indictment from a different grand jury that could stave off any further inquiry. — Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026 The sales tax measure was placed on the ballot earlier this year to help stave off cuts to the region’s struggling public transit agencies that have yet to see ridership levels return to pre-pandemic levels. — Grace Hase, Mercury News, 27 Aug. 2026 Because Democrats have spent the past 15 years desperately trying to stave off conservative legislation, the party has had little room for internecine warfare. — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2026 Nonetheless, Friend said Nike was going to reduce sell-in to wholesale partners in the coming months to stave off future discounting. — Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for stave off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stave off
  1. repel
  2. prevent
  3. resist
  4. avert
  5. turn back
  6. head off
  7. turn away
  8. repulse
Verb
  • The running back, 25, had a career night in his first game with the Chiefs, tallying 173 rushing yards on 23 carries, seemingly repelling opponents which resulted in multiple Broncos missed tackles.
    — Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The two countries’ ties have grown stronger since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022 with Pyongyang sending thousands of troops to Russia’s Kursk region to help repel a 2024 Ukrainian incursion there.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of repel
Verb
  • CEOs should look for organizational bottlenecks that prevent security teams from acting quickly when risk arises.
    — Shane Buckley, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The states’ lawsuit, filed Monday morning in the Southern District of New York, does not seek monetary damages from the federal government, but rather asks the court to block the rule, invalidate it and prevent DHS from using it.
    — Gloria Pazmino, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of prevent
Verb
  • The actor resists framing her character as either predator or victim.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 18 Sep. 2026
  • In fairness, the compulsion to go full-on Chicken Little is hard to resist.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of resist
Verb
  • Alas, Kissinger may have been uncannily prescient about technology and its impact on global power, but his prescriptions on how to avert AI disaster haven’t aged well.
    — Andy Browne, semafor.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Pennsylvania officials announced the deaths last month, with Shapiro stressing that vaccinations could have averted the deaths.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of avert
Verb
  • States and conservation groups have filed numerous lawsuits seeking to turn back the changes.
    — Matthew Brown, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Reinhart’s vintage Elie Saab moment comes at a time when several high-profile stars are turning back the clock and looking to the runway from the early aughts and ’90s for their red carpet and project promotional tour stints.
    — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of turn back
Verb
  • The controversial and beloved stand-up closed out his summer season of shows across the pond, heading off to London for the Pulling Up Tour.
    — Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Many ideas to shore up Social Security and head off benefits cuts have been floated but none have gained enough traction to pass Congress.
    — Medora Lee, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of head off
Verb
  • Despite the financial pressures, Velez emphasized that Feeding South Florida is not turning away anyone who needs food assistance.
    — Manuel Bojorquez, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026
  • As a child in the 1960s, Allie Zemtseff saw how her mother, a Black woman, was turned away by landlords while apartment hunting in white neighborhoods.
    — Adrian Florido, NPR, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of turn away
Verb
  • His recent comments didn’t favor the Browns fanbase, and many Cleveland fans seem viscerally repulsed by him.
    — Andy Behrens, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Most Americans are repulsed by the core ideas of radical leftists.
    — Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of repulse

Browse Nearby Words

staved off
stave off
staves off
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Cite this Entry

“Stave off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stave%20off. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

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