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 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 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
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
  • Exhausted after turning back a Spain barrage in a scoreless draw to start this tournament, Vozinha released tears as memorable as Messi’s.
    — Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 20 July 2026
  • The front-9 and the beginning of the back-9 holes play mostly away from the coastline, but play moves back towards the Moray Firth on the par-4 13th, hugging the waterline for the 14th, 15th, and 16th holes before turning back towards the clubhouse.
    — Zach Schenfisch, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of turning back
Verb
  • This significant and unexpected drop in Chinese demand freed up those barrels to go elsewhere, preventing the kind of shortage that might have led to truly catastrophic prices.
    — Rogé Karma, The Atlantic, 29 July 2026
  • Public health and environmental experts told The Associated Press the coming weeks are critical to preventing secondary crises caused by contaminants from the rubble and rebuilding.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 July 2026
Definition of preventing
Verb
  • At present, prison abolitionists have demanded new conditions for addressing racial capital, turning away from the brutal system of punitive measures to a framework of racial repair.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 July 2026
  • Some are even turning away from other top-tier brands due to lack of transparency.
    — Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 26 July 2026
Definition of turning away
Verb
  • The lack of a clear outcome meant both sides could claim success, averting escalation.
    — Erik Lin-Greenberg, Foreign Affairs, 31 July 2026
  • America’s greatest rival is single-handedly averting a global energy crisis.
    — Rogé Karma, The Atlantic, 29 July 2026
Definition of averting
Verb
  • The meager platoon was a consolation from Lord Borros, who claims to be too busy repelling the Dornish to come to his queen’s aid.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 27 July 2026
  • We Baltimoreans treasure the role the 1814 battle played in repelling the mighty British forces, which were forced to abandon their siege of Fort McHenry.
    — Michel A. Ibrahim, Baltimore Sun, 25 July 2026
Definition of repelling
Verb
  • Yet, with the Gaza death toll exceeding twenty-eight thousand, the amendment had enough support among progressives that Senator Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader, asked the White House for help heading off an intraparty feud.
    — David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
  • After high school, the plan was for Jonah Neal to work at Sam's Club and take a gap year before heading off to college.
    — Juliana Kim, NPR, 13 July 2026
Definition of heading off
Verb
  • Also on Wednesday, Saudi Arabia struck Iranian proxies in Iraq, after months of resisting being pulled into the conflict.
    — Salma Arafa, CNN Money, 30 July 2026
  • Scott Lauck, a spokesperson for the office, said in an email Thursday that one of the juveniles was charged with two counts of misdemeanor assault, while the other was charged with one count of resisting arrest, also a misdemeanor.
    — Nathan Pilling July 30, Kansas City Star, 30 July 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

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staves off
staving off
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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 Aug. 2026.

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