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
Those strengths were often neutralized while leading a veteran Phillies team as the organization tried to stave off an ultimately unavoidable rebuild.
—
Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 29 July 2025
By trying to stave off its adversaries and protect itself from terrorist attacks, Israel will in fact be entering a state of permanent war.
—Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 28 July 2025
Obama’s hope was to use diplomacy to stave off yet another bloody confrontation in the Middle East.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 28 July 2025
Still, Trump’s order will not stave off House lawmakers’ attempts to legislate additional NIL system reforms.
—Christian Datoc, The Washington Examiner, 24 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for stave off
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Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 29 July 2025
By trying to stave off its adversaries and protect itself from terrorist attacks, Israel will in fact be entering a state of permanent war.
—Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 28 July 2025
Obama’s hope was to use diplomacy to stave off yet another bloody confrontation in the Middle East.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 28 July 2025
Still, Trump’s order will not stave off House lawmakers’ attempts to legislate additional NIL system reforms.
—Christian Datoc, The Washington Examiner, 24 July 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 5 Aug. 2025.
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