1
as in turning back
to drive back
managed to stave off the invaders
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in preventing
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 staving off
Harvard gutted out the disadvantages, though, staving off wave after wave of Boston University pressure to eventually force overtime.
—
Tom Mulherin, Boston Herald, 21 Jan. 2026
The original language of the Clean Water Act – which is widely credited with staving off and, in some cases, reversing water pollution for more than a half-century – explicitly mentions environmental and human health, yet says nothing about economic prosperity.
—Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 18 Jan. 2026
Your book is full of practical strategies for staving off digital exhaustion.
—Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Rather than reaching for the same basic jeans over and over again, celebrities have been staving off sartorial-boredom with outfit-making pants.
—Kaelin Dodge, InStyle, 12 Jan. 2026
But when cold weather rushes in, a good eye mask becomes essential for staving off dark circles, dry skin, and the puffiness that follows a late night of caviar, blinis, and martinis (‘tis the season to indulge, after all).
—Jenny Berg, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2025
The two must figure out how to cultivate their blossoming relationship while staving off the suspicions of a jealous colleague.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 17 Oct. 2025
The language used by American fans towards European players at Bethpage Black became a flashpoint during last weekend’s tournament, which Europe won 15-13 after staving off a dramatic US fightback on Sunday.
—George Ramsay, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
His being here—scraping, sanding, painting, sitting across the table from us for dinner most nights—had been one of the joys of the past few weeks, a way of staving off the tension of moving and the sameness of the routine with the kids and the meals and the bedtime stories and all the rest.
—T. Coraghessan Boyle, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2025
Tom Mulherin, Boston Herald, 21 Jan. 2026
The original language of the Clean Water Act – which is widely credited with staving off and, in some cases, reversing water pollution for more than a half-century – explicitly mentions environmental and human health, yet says nothing about economic prosperity.
—Andre Mouchard, Oc Register, 18 Jan. 2026
Your book is full of practical strategies for staving off digital exhaustion.
—Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Rather than reaching for the same basic jeans over and over again, celebrities have been staving off sartorial-boredom with outfit-making pants.
—Kaelin Dodge, InStyle, 12 Jan. 2026
But when cold weather rushes in, a good eye mask becomes essential for staving off dark circles, dry skin, and the puffiness that follows a late night of caviar, blinis, and martinis (‘tis the season to indulge, after all).
—Jenny Berg, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2025
The two must figure out how to cultivate their blossoming relationship while staving off the suspicions of a jealous colleague.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 17 Oct. 2025
The language used by American fans towards European players at Bethpage Black became a flashpoint during last weekend’s tournament, which Europe won 15-13 after staving off a dramatic US fightback on Sunday.
—George Ramsay, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
His being here—scraping, sanding, painting, sitting across the table from us for dinner most nights—had been one of the joys of the past few weeks, a way of staving off the tension of moving and the sameness of the routine with the kids and the meals and the bedtime stories and all the rest.
—T. Coraghessan Boyle, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for staving off
Verb
-
One thing that particularly excited him was turning back the clock for exteriors on New York’s Lower East Side, where the tight shooting schedule often required the art department to transform locations as quickly as possible.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
6 Jan. 2026
-
There’s turning back up until the deed is done.—
Kate Aurthur,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The issue is, the researchers say, is that the study's experimental design was faulty – a control group involved no stimulation, preventing blinding and raising the chances of the placebo effect in those who did use the device.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
21 Jan. 2026
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Something as small as leaving your washer door open after each use can make a big difference in preventing lingering moisture, mildew, and musty odors.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Trump administration officials say the officer, Jonathan Ross, shot her in self-defense, although videos of the encounter show the Honda Pilot slowly turning away from him.—
Alanna Durkin Richer,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Trump administration officials say the officer, Jonathan Ross, shot her in self-defense, although videos of the encounter show the Honda Pilot slowly turning away from him.—
Steve Karnowski,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Superior Court Judge Robert Genuario, a Norwalk Republican who spent a more than a decade in the Senate and on Appropriations in the 1990s and 2000s, credits Keane’s sense of humor with averting a budget crisis in 1995.—
Keith M. Phaneuf,
Hartford Courant,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Its networking and optical connectivity chips function as the lifeline of modern data centers, averting bottlenecks as inference workloads expand across clusters.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Both types of down do a good job keeping you warm and repelling the elements.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Jan. 2026
-
Ways To Prevent Mice Scents are good at repelling mice in the yard and around the house.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
28 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Trump put intense pressure on five Republican senators who joined with Democrats to advance the resolution last week and ultimately prevailed in heading off passage of the legislation.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Jan. 2026
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The actress was also filmed getting final makeup touch-ups before heading off to the ceremony.—
Escher Walcott,
PEOPLE,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The driver of the car, identified as 36-year-old Amber O'Neal, was taken to the hospital and then booked into the Jefferson County Jail on unrelated, outstanding warrants for third-degree assault, vehicular eluding, and resisting arrest.—
Austen Erblat,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
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More effective diplomacy, as demonstrated by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and French President Emmanuel Macron at the same forum, conveys the same message about resisting bullying through measured language that preserves dignity and institutional respect.—
George Skelton,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
While there are dismemberments and other bits of gruesome violence to be found in the film, Badlands is largely aimed at endearing its audience rather than repulsing them.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Staving off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/staving%20off. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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