1
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
And one expert has suggested that steel or concrete barriers can also help guard against deadly attacks like the one in Grand Blanc Township, as well as unintentional fatal wrecks and may even help businesses stave off plaintiff lawsuits.
—
Frank Witsil, Freep.com, 1 Oct. 2025
Continue reading … DEFYING ODDS – After taking a commanding lead in Farmingdale, New York, Team Europe staved off a late rally to secure rare back-to-back Ryder Cup titles.
—Staff, FOXNews.com, 1 Oct. 2025
And the problem is bound to get worse as Gen Xers, the next generation of retirees, are currently struggling to stave off financial insecurity—let alone save for a cushy retirement.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2025
As these failures mounted, Astra's valuation plummeted from $2.6 billion to $25 million, and to stave off bankruptcy Kemp had to take the company private in 2023 at 50 cents a share.
—Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stave off
Frank Witsil, Freep.com, 1 Oct. 2025
Continue reading … DEFYING ODDS – After taking a commanding lead in Farmingdale, New York, Team Europe staved off a late rally to secure rare back-to-back Ryder Cup titles.
—Staff, FOXNews.com, 1 Oct. 2025
And the problem is bound to get worse as Gen Xers, the next generation of retirees, are currently struggling to stave off financial insecurity—let alone save for a cushy retirement.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 29 Sep. 2025
As these failures mounted, Astra's valuation plummeted from $2.6 billion to $25 million, and to stave off bankruptcy Kemp had to take the company private in 2023 at 50 cents a share.
—Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stave off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stave off
Verb
-
One raid saw masked federal agents repelling from Black Hawk helicopters and wrecking an apartment building.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
9 Oct. 2025
-
For those who repel the idea of noise-cancelling headphones, these deliver high-quality sound without drowning out the noise of oncoming traffic—an essential for city runners or anyone who can’t seem to stay out of the bike path.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The company also lobbied Congress over legislation that would prevent chemical assessments conducted by the agency’s Integrated Risk Information System program from being used in regulation.—
Sharon Lerner,
ProPublica,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant secretary with the Department of Homeland Security, claimed that the demonstrators were preventing an ICE vehicle from leaving the federal facility and hampering operations.—
David Chiu,
PEOPLE,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island have long resisted the ongoing settler colonial project that is now the United States.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
11 Oct. 2025
-
Ever since the company’s founder was pushed out and fled Russia in 2014 for resisting Kremlin demands and the company was handed over to Putin allies, VK has been more than pliant in cooperating with the state.—
Justin Sherman,
The Atlantic,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Duane averted his eyes to avoid a direct challenging stare that might motivate the sow.—
Marguerite Reiss,
Outdoor Life,
9 Oct. 2025
-
While it's become common practice for Congress to avert a shutdown at the last possible moment, that outcome appears increasingly unlikely.—
Simmone Shah,
Time,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The men hunted a little farther, stopped to eat lunch, then decided to investigate a small hill before turning back to drag out their deer.—
Marguerite Reiss,
Outdoor Life,
9 Oct. 2025
-
Rangers look like turning back to Steven Gerrard, their title-winning manager in 2020-21, after the swift sacking of Russell Martin.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Penn State fans made that abundantly clear Saturday by arriving uncharacteristically late to the game and booing their heads off when the game ended.—
Alex Kirshner,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
-
Now his defense team, led by attorney Arthur Aidala, is fighting to eliminate his retrial conviction and head off another retrial on the undecided count.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
This time around, while Chambers remains turned away, Teasdale crouches with an unsettling smile and long fingernails, conjuring a skin-crawling suspense.—
Sophie Williams,
Billboard,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Coders are now turning away from many of the public expressions of interest in different languages (like Google searches and Stack Exchange queries), which have served as key metrics for the ranking since 2013.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
His family, dependent on his income and repulsed at what has become of their son, must then determine what is to be done with poor Gregor.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Ron spends a lot of time bouncing around the web, fascinated and repulsed in equal measure.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
9 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stave off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stave%20off. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share