STAVED OFF Synonyms: 93 Similar and Opposite Words

staved off

verb

past tense of stave off

as in repulsed

to drive back managed to stave off the invaders

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in prevented

to keep from happening by taking action in advance the quartermaster staved off a shortage by requisitioning more than enough supplies

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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 staved off Brownsville residents already staved off efforts by Hialeah to annex part of the neighborhood into the city back in 2023 – an effort Pinkney fought furiously against. — Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 30 July 2026 Jordan also staved off Iranian missiles, according to its state media. — Npr Staff, NPR, 17 July 2026 An infusion of new funds approved by Congress this year and a waiver of eligibility procedures have staved off a potential crisis that would have left 4,200 back on the street. — Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2026 The better ballclubs pull out of slumps before the Padres finally did so Sunday, pulling off a 5-2 road victory against the Dodgers that staved off a four-game sweep and halted an eight-game skid. — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 July 2026 During his tenure Thomas also successfully staved off a hostile takeover. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 June 2026 By comparison, in 2022, Republicans picked up a handful of seats and narrowly won control of the House, and although Democrats staved off a large-scale GOP wave, Latino voters trended away from Democrats that year. — Anne Bryson, CBS News, 24 June 2026 Some factors — that crime has hit historic lows as Tisch has headed the department and Mamdani’s relative lack of action in the police department — have staved off criticism from moderates. — Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 15 June 2026 That spending staved off a recession at the cost of overheating the economy, contributing to the inflation that still plagues Americans. — Matt Peterson, CNBC, 27 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for staved off

Verb

Most Americans are repulsed by the core ideas of radical leftists.

— Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Philly may be shedding its second-fiddle status, but it remains entirely repulsed by frauds and underachievers.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 24 July 2026

Definition of repulsed

Verb

Authorities immediately launched a rescue operation involving firefighters, police, the National Disaster Response Force and civic officials but efforts were hampered by narrow access lanes that prevented the use of heavy machinery, officials said.

— ABC News, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
Both came alive right along the Gulf Coast and were battered by wind shear every step of the way, which prevented them from strengthening significantly and limited their impacts overall.

— Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of prevented

Verb

Eventually, Guccione turned back on his stadium microphone and announced the run would count, leading to further boos.

— Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2026
The proposal, which called for overhauling the judicial selection process and directly electing Supreme Court justices, was decisively turned back on Tuesday.

— Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of turned back

Verb

The call that might have averted disaster came into William Mulholland’s office that morning.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026
The studies, and lack of follow-through, raise the issue about what could have averted the still-climbing death toll, and what steps need to be taken to prepare for an inevitable next earthquake.

— Syra Ortiz-Blanes, Miami Herald, 24 July 2026

Definition of averted

Verb

New Zealanders must now be registered and have their addresses and other details updated in the system 13 days before election day, or they will be turned away from polling places.

— ABC News, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026
The coroner’s report said that Khalil died in the evening from cardiac arrest due to head trauma and severe bleeding, hours after paramedics initially entered the area and were turned away, said Human Rights Watch’s Lebanon Researcher Ramzi Kaiss.

— Kareem Chehayeb, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of turned away

Verb

The buildings —critical to the AI boom driving intense investment — have repelled voters due to their massive energy and water demand.

— Garrett Downs, CNBC, 6 Aug. 2026
In this family, Shigejiro seemed to be cloaked in a waterproof tarpaulin that repelled the currents of misfortune.

— Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of repelled

Verb

Burbank locals have resisted growth in the past, said real estate consultant Chris Baer of Avison Young.

— Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026
Maybe not While the AMA acknowledges that stigma affects clinician behavior and prescribing, the organization has long urged patience with the pace of reform and resisted efforts to mandate more rapid change.

— Brian Mann, NPR, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of resisted

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“Staved off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/staved%20off. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of staved off

verb

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