1
2
as in to prevent
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
Examples 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 stave off
The biting winter chill provides the perfect opportunity to lean into layering and get creative with your travel style while staving off the cold.
—
Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 13 Dec. 2024
The main question left to answer is who should pay to stave off the worst of climate change’s ravages.
—Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 13 Dec. 2024
The Treasury Department will likely implement extraordinary measures to stave off a default in the new year.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 19 Dec. 2024
Users rave about its acne-quelling benefits—limiting excess oils and staving off stubborn breakouts.
—Kiana Murden, Vogue, 19 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stave off 
Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 13 Dec. 2024
The main question left to answer is who should pay to stave off the worst of climate change’s ravages.
—Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 13 Dec. 2024
The Treasury Department will likely implement extraordinary measures to stave off a default in the new year.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 19 Dec. 2024
Users rave about its acne-quelling benefits—limiting excess oils and staving off stubborn breakouts.
—Kiana Murden, Vogue, 19 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stave off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stave off
Verb
-
Russian counteroffensives, while successful in halting Ukraine's advances and pushing its soldiers out of the territory gained in the first few weeks, have so far failed to entirely repel Kyiv back to its borders.Hugh Cameron, Newsweek, 26 Dec. 2024
-
The backpack repelled water, gave me easy access to my umbrella, and kept all my valuables dry.Laura Lajiness Kaupke, Glamour, 20 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Orthopedist invents air braces that prevent all leg injuries during games.Filip Bondy, New York Daily News, 31 Dec. 2024
-
Trying to hang on The Broncos could have clinched Saturday, but Joe Burrow’s heroics in overtime prevented that.Josh Kendall, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
But more importantly, even the best-run organizations have a hard time resisting the urge to overpay — sometimes, wildly — when a key piece becomes available.John Hollinger, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
-
Of those, 608 have been charged with assaulting, resisting or impeding law enforcement agents or officers or obstructing those officers during a civil disorder.Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 6 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Skinner worried that our reaction to environmental catastrophe would come too late to avert it.Debra Hendrickson, WIRED, 4 Jan. 2025
-
Legislation passed via budget reconciliation, which would allow the Senate to avert the 60-vote threshold from the filibuster, would need consensus among House Republicans with their majority of 219 Republicans to 215 Democrats.Katherine Faulders, ABC News, 4 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
In 2024, both Finland and Poland passed legislation that allows border officials to turn back asylum seekers at their land borders.Amy Pope, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
-
It's been a roller coaster for Rodgers, who has looked like a 41-year-old quarterback coming off a serious injury but has shown flashes of turning back the clock.Ryan Morik, Fox News, 4 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Given that Chinese head of state Xi Jinping has told his country's military to be prepared for that invasion by 2027, now is the time to head off the digital salient of what could be a world-shaking future war.WIRED Staff, WIRED, 30 Dec. 2024
-
They had been hired by Gender Justice, a legal and advocacy organization, to head off any tensions that might unfold during or after that morning's oral arguments before the Minnesota Supreme Court.Odette Yousef, NPR, 20 Dec. 2024
Verb
-
Just as her head was turning away from any future on the NFL field, heartbreak urged her to reassess.Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 7 Jan. 2025
-
Eizenstat shared the tale of Shirley Vasquez and her children with Carter who requested that his driver turn away from the airport and head to the Bronx.Cary Goodman, New York Daily News, 5 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Today, Ukrainian troops repulsed yet another attack by the 810th Naval Infantry Brigade around Pogrebki, the Ukrainian Center for Defense Strategies reported.David Axe, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
-
Challenged and Denounced Millions were repulsed by Mr. Le Pen’s statements.Robert D. McFadden, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near stave off
Cite this Entry
“Stave off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stave%20off. Accessed 15 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share