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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
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Recent Examples of stave off
Talking with a media scrum after his team staved off a relentless Crimsons team, the veteran head coach was happy after getting beat by Manual the past two seasons.
—
Rich Barak, Louisville Courier Journal, 11 Oct. 2025
Sandwich’s Kyla Darmon, Abigail Cotter, Schultz and Dwyer paired with goalie Camryn Craddock (six saves) to stave off most of Somerset Berkley’s 10 corners on the day.
—Tom Mulherin, Boston Herald, 11 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, another kind of natural fatty acid undermines these cells and may diminish the body's ability to stave off tumor growth.
—New Atlas, 9 Oct. 2025
In Wednesday night’s 4-3 victory for the Cubs to stave off elimination against the Brewers in the best-of-five National League Division Series, Crow-Armstrong’s two-out, two-RBI single in the first inning was the type of momentum-shifting hit that Chicago has been searching for this series.
—Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stave off
Rich Barak, Louisville Courier Journal, 11 Oct. 2025
Sandwich’s Kyla Darmon, Abigail Cotter, Schultz and Dwyer paired with goalie Camryn Craddock (six saves) to stave off most of Somerset Berkley’s 10 corners on the day.
—Tom Mulherin, Boston Herald, 11 Oct. 2025
Meanwhile, another kind of natural fatty acid undermines these cells and may diminish the body's ability to stave off tumor growth.
—New Atlas, 9 Oct. 2025
In Wednesday night’s 4-3 victory for the Cubs to stave off elimination against the Brewers in the best-of-five National League Division Series, Crow-Armstrong’s two-out, two-RBI single in the first inning was the type of momentum-shifting hit that Chicago has been searching for this series.
—Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stave off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stave off
Verb
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Washington has recently appeared to grow more amenable to resuming military backing for Kyiv’s push to repel Russia’s invasion.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
17 Oct. 2025
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Among the tasks for the troops were repelling migrants and, at least in one instance, troops used tear gas on a group of Venezuelan migrants at the border.—
Sergio Martínez-Beltrán,
NPR,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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These suburban residents hope that vigilance will prevent the process of neighbourhood change from beginning.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
18 Oct. 2025
-
While the administration frames it as a measure to prevent misuse, the policy raises questions about the consequences for migrants.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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For a full display, the set includes 12 bundles of flowers with brown faux eucalyptus leaves, and each piece is made from artificial silk and plastic designed to resist fading and damage from the sun and other weather conditions.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
18 Oct. 2025
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Unlike a killer hiding in the woods, a guy who gets you in your dreams is literally impossible to hide from, and watching our plucky heroine Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) trying to resist sleep presents a new kind of awful torture.—
Gwen Ihnat,
Entertainment Weekly,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The government’s survival on Thursday averted that outcome, at least for the time being.—
Aurelien Breeden,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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This story has been corrected to show the warnings were reversed in 2015 before Congress averted a shutdown.—
Geoff Mulvihill,
Twin Cities,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But this staredown came on the biggest stage of Toronto’s season, on a night when the pitcher turned back time.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
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When do clocks turn back an hour in November?—
Chris Sims,
Louisville Courier Journal,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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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
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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
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Evil is aided and abetted by those who stand back and do nothing, who swallow the lies and turn away from images of death and destruction that are wholly preventable.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Oct. 2025
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At the same time, people will not be turned away.—
David Lightman,
Sacbee.com,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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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
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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 20 Oct. 2025.
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