stave off
verb
staved off; staving off; staves off
1
: to fend off
staving off creditors
2
: to ward off (something adverse) : forestall
trying to stave off disaster
Examples of stave off in a Sentence
managed to stave off the invaders
the quartermaster staved off a shortage by requisitioning more than enough supplies
Recent Examples on the Web
These ideas also attracted a large number of individuals who were concerned with the existential threat posed by artificial intelligence, and were determined to systematically identify and address those risks in hope of staving off disaster.
—
Tessa Stuart, Rolling Stone, 25 Feb. 2025
Saunders drained both attempts to give the Cougars a one-point lead and BYU was able to stave off Arizona’s last ditch effort with just 3.2 seconds remaining for a famous victory.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 24 Feb. 2025
Whatever high-level patronage Domodedovo’s owner enjoyed in the past to stave off attacks from his competitors, the war in Ukraine clearly canceled it out, analysts said.
—Nataliya Vasilyeva, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025
Defending in this way is often designed to stave off any runs through the defensive line, particularly the threatening half-space runs that can lead to one of the most dangerous crosses in the game: the cutback.
—Mark Carey, The Athletic, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stave off
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Tessa Stuart, Rolling Stone, 25 Feb. 2025
Saunders drained both attempts to give the Cougars a one-point lead and BYU was able to stave off Arizona’s last ditch effort with just 3.2 seconds remaining for a famous victory.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 24 Feb. 2025
Whatever high-level patronage Domodedovo’s owner enjoyed in the past to stave off attacks from his competitors, the war in Ukraine clearly canceled it out, analysts said.
—Nataliya Vasilyeva, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025
Defending in this way is often designed to stave off any runs through the defensive line, particularly the threatening half-space runs that can lead to one of the most dangerous crosses in the game: the cutback.
—Mark Carey, The Athletic, 22 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stave off
Cite this Entry
“Stave off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stave%20off. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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