Synonyms of staving off

staving off

verb

present participle of stave off

1

as in turning back

to drive back

managed to stave off the invaders

Synonyms & Similar Words

• turning back
• turning away
• repelling
• resisting
• fending (off)
• repulsing
• beating off
• fighting
• rebutting
• holding off
• standing off
• warding (off)
• withstanding
• opposing
• deflecting
• defying
• spurning
• rebuffing
• snubbing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• embracing
• welcoming
• hailing

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

• preventing
• averting
• heading off
• avoiding
• precluding
• obviating
• helping
• forestalling
• providing
• interfering (with)
• escaping
• anticipating
• warding (off)
• fending (off)
• compensating (for)
• making up (for)
• saving
• shaking
• evading
• neutralizing
• nullifying
• deterring
• thwarting
• hindering
• impeding
• hampering
• retarding
• deflecting
• frustrating
• prohibiting
• eluding
• forbidding
• blocking
• negating
• offsetting
• baffling
• stopping
• stalling
• shunning
• eschewing
• counteracting
• balking
• checking
• circumventing
• foiling
• counterbalancing
• dodging
• inhibiting
• barring
• ducking
• checkmating
• shirking
• halting
• arresting

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• assisting
• aiding
• abetting
• facilitating
• promoting
• smoothing
• easing
• advancing
• encouraging
• leaving
• fostering
• forwarding
• letting
• cultivating
• furthering
• permitting
• allowing
• nurturing
• unclogging

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of staving off

This latest heist recalls the brazen, daytime Louvre theft of France’s Crown Jewels in October, which, despite putting the country’s museums on relatively higher alert, does not appear to be staving off a spate of recent thefts. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 6 July 2026

Therefore, building mental endurance is essential to staving off decision fatigue and reducing the judgment errors that tend to surface when a leader's cognitive reserves run low. — Julian Hayes Ii, Forbes.com, 24 June 2026

But in the group stage of the competition, Gollner says awarding a point for a tie acknowledges the effort inherent in staving off defeat. — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 24 June 2026

Pavers or concrete designed to mimic natural stone slabs visually break up the surface, staving off parking lot connotations. — Marisa Suzanne Martin, The Spruce, 21 May 2026

His last adventure involved him staving off a multiversal crisis by making everyone in the world forget him, including his best friends MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon). — Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026

Now that the euphoria of David Pastrnak’s overtime game-winner has now subsided, the Bruins get back to the business of staving off elimination at the hands of the Buffalo Sabres in Friday’s Game 6 at the Garden. — Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 30 Apr. 2026

The link between flossing and disease prevention On top of staving off periodontal disease, research shows that regular flossing is associated with reduced risk of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and stroke. — Michele Ross, SELF, 22 Apr. 2026

Kansas City voters overwhelmingly renewed the city’s 1% earnings tax on Tuesday, maintaining a critical funding source for city services and unmistakably staving off concerns that the city’s budget could be thrown into disarray. — Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2026