as in ends
to stop the progress or spread of (something)
efforts to stem the dramatic decline of an endangered species
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Recent Examples of stems
Remove dead or damaged branches, and cut back any woody stems below the damage to a set of healthy leaves.
—
Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 8 June 2026
In these spaces, ticks often wait on the tips of grass blades, plant stems, and tree branches with their front legs ready to grasp onto any host that happens to brush by or walk under overhanging foliage.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 June 2026
According to a helpful monograph called Ancient Potato Varieties of Tenerife, potatoes aren’t the fruit of the potato plant but its underground stems.
—Tamar Adler, Vogue, 3 June 2026
Remove stems thicker than 2 inches in diameter to control the overall height.
—Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 2 June 2026
Pea shoots are the delicate leaves, stems and tendrils of the snow pea plant.
—Lynda Balslev, Mercury News, 2 June 2026
The real lottery win stems directly from the unique circumstances of his roster journey during the 2025-26 campaign.
—Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 June 2026
That NextEra could rack up a string of scandals and still extract multi-billion-dollar rate hikes for FPL stems directly from weak-kneed, inept oversight by the Florida Public Service Commission.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 30 May 2026
Prune Away Dead and Weak Stems Prune away stems that are dead or weak.
—Marie Iannotti, The Spruce, 29 May 2026
Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 8 June 2026
In these spaces, ticks often wait on the tips of grass blades, plant stems, and tree branches with their front legs ready to grasp onto any host that happens to brush by or walk under overhanging foliage.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 June 2026
According to a helpful monograph called Ancient Potato Varieties of Tenerife, potatoes aren’t the fruit of the potato plant but its underground stems.
—Tamar Adler, Vogue, 3 June 2026
Remove stems thicker than 2 inches in diameter to control the overall height.
—Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 2 June 2026
Pea shoots are the delicate leaves, stems and tendrils of the snow pea plant.
—Lynda Balslev, Mercury News, 2 June 2026
The real lottery win stems directly from the unique circumstances of his roster journey during the 2025-26 campaign.
—Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 June 2026
That NextEra could rack up a string of scandals and still extract multi-billion-dollar rate hikes for FPL stems directly from weak-kneed, inept oversight by the Florida Public Service Commission.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 30 May 2026
Prune Away Dead and Weak Stems Prune away stems that are dead or weak.
—Marie Iannotti, The Spruce, 29 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stems
Verb
-
Voting for the mall ends June 1.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
29 May 2026
-
Fans who fear Major League Baseball is headed toward a work stoppage because the collective-bargaining agreement ends later this year could not have liked the events of the past week.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Cuba is currently facing a banking crisis that delays pension payments to retirees and limits cash withdrawals for the general population.—
Sarah Moreno
June 4,
Miami Herald,
4 June 2026
-
Doctors say the administrative action routinely delays or denies care.—
Ken Alltucker,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Your success stops feeling hollow.—
Chris Schembra,
Rolling Stone,
8 June 2026
-
There is no single treatment that stops the allergic march in its tracks, but there are ways to slow its progress.—
Dr. Daniel DiGiacomo,
Boston Herald,
7 June 2026
Verb
-
Not necessarily that the basketball becomes easier, but each minute is so tense, both teams are so focused and each possession is so tight that the winner is often decided by which team — or player — can execute when the game halts to a grind.—
Rohan Nadkarni,
NBC news,
4 June 2026
-
Cooper’s ruling halts those plans for now.—
Collin Binkley,
Fortune,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
Anything Too Tall or Too Small Avoid placing anything on a coffee table that blocks the view of the surrounding furniture.—
Lauren Jones,
Southern Living,
8 June 2026
-
In addition to Virunga National Park, Okapi Wildlife Reserve blocks the west and the north from the spread of the disease toward the big city of Kisangani, and downstream of the Congo River all the way to [the capital of] Kinshasa.—
Gabrielle Emanuel,
NPR,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
But the spending wasn't enough to help Steyer break through the top two, McCuan concludes.—
Terry Collins,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
-
The 2026 Tribeca Film Festival kicked off on June 3 and concludes on June 14.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
9 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stems.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stems. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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