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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
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Recent Examples of stave off
Republicans said that would stave off abuse of the Medicaid program, and added a $50 billion investment in rural health to offset losses.
—
Ali Swenson, Chicago Tribune, 7 Feb. 2026
Still, that progress wasn’t enough to stave off a takeover.
—Silas Allen, Dallas Morning News, 6 Feb. 2026
The first time was in 2009, when papers across the country were slashing books coverage in an attempt to stave off budgetary apocalypse.
—Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2026
Attia is one of the biggest names in the longevity space, a medical philosophy rooted in the idea that people can improve and extend their quality of life and stave off chronic disease through a combination of exercise, sleep and good nutrition and by tending to their emotional health.
—Aria Bendix, NBC news, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stave off
Ali Swenson, Chicago Tribune, 7 Feb. 2026
Still, that progress wasn’t enough to stave off a takeover.
—Silas Allen, Dallas Morning News, 6 Feb. 2026
The first time was in 2009, when papers across the country were slashing books coverage in an attempt to stave off budgetary apocalypse.
—Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2026
Attia is one of the biggest names in the longevity space, a medical philosophy rooted in the idea that people can improve and extend their quality of life and stave off chronic disease through a combination of exercise, sleep and good nutrition and by tending to their emotional health.
—Aria Bendix, NBC news, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stave off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stave off
Verb
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Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed an ultra-stretchable material that repels nearly any liquid and holds up under extreme deformation.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Feb. 2026
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This creates a thin barrier that repels buildup.—
Louise Parks,
Martha Stewart,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Even worse, that money was supposed to go toward preventing and reversing drug overdoses amid an ongoing opioid epidemic.—
Blake Nelson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Feb. 2026
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The same dangerous whiteout conditions that caused the avalanche Tuesday have prevented recovery crews from returning to the remote Sierra Nevada backcountry to bring home the bodies, officials said in an update Wednesday.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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He was arrested and booked into Imperial County Jail on suspicion of murder and resisting a peace officer.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
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Yoon was first detained in January 2025 after resisting attempts to arrest him in a weeks-long standoff with authorities at his home in Seoul.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The administration estimates its rule repeal will avert $670 million in compliance costs over a decade.—
Connor Giffin,
Louisville Courier Journal,
20 Feb. 2026
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Instead of fluids, the doctor ordered dopamine to raise the patient’s blood pressure without adding volume—averting what Hart believed could have led to a life-threatening complication.—
Hilke Schellmann,
Scientific American,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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William Johnston, an associate professor of religious studies at the University of Dayton, previously told USA TODAY that abstaining from eating meat is also a form of penance – admitting to any wrongdoings and sins while turning back to belief in God.—
Julia Gomez,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
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But the group was turned back by Syrian authorities to the Roj detention camp, due to unspecified procedural problems.—
Rod McGuirk,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Cochran left home for Charlotte in 2008 to study at Johnson & Wales, earning double degrees in Culinary Arts and Food Service Management before heading off to New York in search of great things.—
Heidi Finley,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Feb. 2026
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Same with traffic heading off to the left of the turnpike to get to the plaza bathrooms and fast-food windows.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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When that happens, families turn to public hospitals, where no one is turned away.—
Shane Strum,
Sun Sentinel,
17 Feb. 2026
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The simple design suited the low-key style icon and reflected the restraint which characterized fashion of the era—a turn away from the maximalism of the 1980s.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Charlie, though, is trying to keep them out of a country that thoroughly repulses him.—
Alexander Nazaryan,
New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2026
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And Republicans are among those repulsed by the ongoing scandals.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stave off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stave%20off. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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