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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

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 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

The move prevented the federal district court from making its own interim appointment, who would have been able to serve until a new candidate was presidentially appointed and confirmed by the Senate.

— Callum Sutherland, Time, 18 Aug. 2026
In this new threat landscape, biological attacks are unlikely to be prevented entirely, given the proliferation of biological capabilities and the fact that some actors cannot be deterred by traditional means.

— Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of prevented

Verb

The fire turned back into California late Thursday morning, burning in Lassen County just above the Sierra County line, fire maps showed.

— Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 13 Aug. 2026
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

Definition of turned back

Verb

However, when the camera reached Omri Shiff, a hurdler from Israel, both anchors inexplicably averted their attention to another participant who was apparently taking too long to get set.

— Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Aug. 2026
The call that might have averted disaster came into William Mulholland’s office that morning.

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

Definition of averted

Verb

After a fan interfered with the ball, resulting in an automatic out, Bericoto turned away to avoid being hit in the face but twisted his knee.

— Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026
Hugo Lloris turned away one shot for LAFC (10-7-5), which was coming off back-to-back 1-0 losses.

— ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of turned away

Verb

The Ukrainian defenders repelled the attack and posted video footage of their kamikaze drone strikes destroying at least seven T-72B3A tanks, including some that carried the Arena-M system, according to Euromaidan Press.

— Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 18 Aug. 2026
The narrator, though curious to speak herself, is finally repelled.

— Maya Binyam, New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of repelled

Verb

When hit by a projectile traveling faster than seven times the speed of sound, the composite held together and resisted destruction.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2026
Blonde demonstrated that a superstar could make a culturally consequential album that resisted traditional singles, resisted explanation and, perhaps most importantly, resisted overexposure.

— Desjah Altvater, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of resisted

Browse Nearby Words

stave

staved off

stave off

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Staved off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/staved%20off. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of staved off

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

devolve

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes