staving off

verb

Definition of staving offnext
present participle of stave off
1
as in turning back
to drive back managed to stave off the invaders

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for staving off
  1. preventing
  2. averting
  3. repelling
  4. resisting
Verb
  • Here’s what the panel found—plus what doctors who treat aging patients actually suggest for preventing falls and fractures.
    Korin Miller, Health, 24 Dec. 2024
  • This causes turtles to float in an awkward position with their rear ends elevated—making swimming considerably difficult and preventing the animal from diving far beneath the surface.
    Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Dec. 2024
Definition of preventing
Verb
  • The Senate voted to pass the measure just after midnight, sending it to President Joe Biden’s desk and averting a government shutdown.
    Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 23 Dec. 2024
  • Congress passed a separate stopgap funding bill over the weekend, averting a government shutdown.
    Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 22 Dec. 2024
Definition of averting
Verb
  • This storage bag did a great job repelling dirt and water, but the fabric around the zipper does absorb a small amount of moisture.
    Camryn Rabideau, People.com, 16 Dec. 2024
  • Erin Smith, whose husband Jeff Smith suffered a traumatic brain injury and a fracture while repelling the rioters, said Dana Bell, 66, contributed to her husband's attack.
    Scott MacFarlane, CBS News, 17 Oct. 2024
Definition of repelling
Verb
  • Surely even the most recalcitrant of Emmy voters will have a hard time resisting a performance this impeccably showy.
    Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Dec. 2024
  • Rather than resisting regulation, many leaders are actively welcoming it as a way to reduce uncertainty and foster safer AI adoption.
    Mrinal Manohar, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
Definition of resisting
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.

Thesaurus Entries Near staving off

staves off

staving off

stay

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Staving off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/staving%20off. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on staving off

Nglish: Translation of staving off for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

Using Bullet Points ( • )

'Gray' vs. 'Grey': What is the difference?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
tiny woman sitting on a pile of books reading
Little Words, Big Vocabulary Quiz Time to sweat the small stuff.