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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

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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

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 staving off They are banged up, which makes clinching the division and staving off the Atlanta Braves for a first-round bye paramount over the season’s final 12 games. — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026 Saudi Arabia agreed not to retaliate militarily against targets on Iraqi soil, temporarily staving off a regional conflagration. — Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026 The question of whether to allow recording devices to make official legal transcripts has long been debated in California, where organizations representing court reporters have succeeded in staving off such changes. — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 11 Aug. 2026 The Kansas City City Council approved a trio of ordinances on Thursday aimed at vacant properties that become nuisances and staving off demolition of historic buildings. — Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026 Of course, creating a culture of openness and respectful debate requires more than staving off government interference. — Annabelle Garland, The Atlantic, 23 July 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for staving off
  1. turning back
  2. preventing
  3. turning away
  4. averting
  5. repelling
  6. heading off
  7. resisting
  8. repulsing
Verb
  • Once the company and its shareholders become accustomed to such a financial boost, an environment where individual guest spending sharply increases even when domestic park attendance is soft or steady, there’s likely no turning back.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Reinhart’s vintage Elie Saab moment comes at a time when several high-profile stars are turning back the clock and looking to the runway from the early aughts and ’90s for their red carpet and project promotional tour stints.
    — Julia Teti, Footwear News, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of turning back
Verb
  • When transitioning from hard flooring to rugs or carpets, the system automatically adjusts suction levels and modifies its brush roll behavior to maximize particle pickup while preventing hair entanglements around the main rollers.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The discovery of the left atrial septal pouch is about more than preventing strokes.
    — Subramaniam C. Krishnan, STAT, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of preventing
Verb
  • The market distress peaked in 2024 with State Farm and Farmers announcing plans to drop tens of thousands of customers, and other major insurers turning away all new customers.
    — Paige St. John, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026
  • This is not true; no technology or social evolution is inevitable, and even some young people are already turning away from them.
    — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of turning away
Verb
  • The topic has gained urgency in both countries, with American tech leaders saying that averting worst-case scenarios for rogue AI depends on a degree of cooperation with China.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026
  • The settlement was reached during a California federal trial over claims brought by 29 states, averting one of the highest-profile tests yet of allegations that social media companies harmed young users.
    — Diana Novak Jones, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of averting
Verb
  • The running back, 25, had a career night in his first game with the Chiefs, tallying 173 rushing yards on 23 carries, seemingly repelling opponents which resulted in multiple Broncos missed tackles.
    — Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026
  • This includes rain-repelling treatments like Rain X, adds Musson.
    — Rae Ford, Martha Stewart, 12 Sep. 2026
Definition of repelling
Verb
  • In an emotional night, fans packed Mohegan Sun Arena to watch their team’s final game before heading off to Houston for the 2027 season.
    — Jessica Hill, Hartford Courant, 25 Sep. 2026
  • By contrast, if Weiss is not getting a promotion, Ellison would be wise to say something the minute the deal is officially closed, heading off speculation about CNN’s future and preventing possible talent defections at the network.
    — Josef Adalian, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of heading off
Verb
  • Garces Perez faces one count of assaulting, resisting and impeding a federal officer.
    — Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026
  • By resisting the siloing of art by geography and chronology, the rehang interrogated the style and substance of European modernism, as well as the ways later generations of artists reclaimed those histories.
    — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of resisting
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
Definition of repulsing

Browse Nearby Words

staves off
staving off
stay
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Cite this Entry

“Staving off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/staving%20off. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

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