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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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stave off
OpenAI is wagering that early cooperation and some transparency will secure it a seat at the rulemaking table and stave off harsher regulation down the line.
—
Paulo Carvão, Forbes.com, 22 July 2025
Marvel's shawarma-chomping A-listers have to put differences aside to stave off an alien attack on Manhattan.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 10 July 2025
Families have to change their routines to stave off the effects of extreme heat.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2025
Advertisement Despite the scale of distribution, the UN has warned that aid provided through GHF represents only a fraction of what is needed to stave off starvation for Gaza’s population of more than two million.
—Callum Sutherland, Time, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for stave off
Paulo Carvão, Forbes.com, 22 July 2025
Marvel's shawarma-chomping A-listers have to put differences aside to stave off an alien attack on Manhattan.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 10 July 2025
Families have to change their routines to stave off the effects of extreme heat.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2025
Advertisement Despite the scale of distribution, the UN has warned that aid provided through GHF represents only a fraction of what is needed to stave off starvation for Gaza’s population of more than two million.
—Callum Sutherland, Time, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for stave off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stave off
Verb
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Fragrant herbs are often planted around vegetables to repel plant pests and attract pollinators to veggie flowers.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 July 2025
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Getting back to the lizards, there are certain scents that can repel lizards.—
Joan Morris,
Mercury News,
21 July 2025
Verb
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Establish guidelines to prevent bias, discrimination and the misuse of AI.—
Karoline Leonard,
Austin American Statesman,
23 July 2025
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To prevent layoffs of younger staff members, San Diego Unified turned this year to the Supplemental Early Retirement Program, or SERP, which offers veteran employees incentive payments to retire early.—
Ashley Mackin Solomon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 July 2025
Verb
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If a student tries to evade this process and just asks for the answer, the AI will resist the request and instead redirect the student to engage with the material.—
Ray Ravaglia,
Forbes.com,
30 July 2025
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Of course, powerful pollution interests resist any positive change to the status quo.—
Mel Martin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 July 2025
Verb
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Colorado hasn’t set up the grants to prove that a particular group’s efforts averted a certain number of injuries or deaths, but models that worked in other major cities should be helpful in the Denver area, said Dr. Ned Calonge, the state health department’s chief medical officer.—
Meg Wingerter,
Denver Post,
28 July 2025
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In doing so the Red Sox also averted what at one point was looking like a sure three-game sweep.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
24 July 2025
Verb
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The monthly number, which represents the percentage of people who are unemployed and looking for work is expected turn back up to 4.2% when the July jobs report is released on Friday, Aug. 1.—
Jim Sergent,
USA Today,
30 July 2025
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China is building out clean energy at a blistering pace, as the US takes a chainsaw to its wind and solar sectors and makes a hard turn back toward fossil fuels.—
Ella Nilsen,
CNN Money,
29 July 2025
Verb
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Osbourne plays himself and saves the day by biting the head off of Nicky's evil brother, Adrian, who had turned into a bat.—
Daysia Tolentino,
EW.com,
24 July 2025
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But one thing remains true in both stories, whether the animal was alive or dead, Osbourne really did bite its head off.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
23 July 2025
Verb
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Both images show the animal turned away from the camera, their marbled coat leading to a long, fluffy tail.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
28 July 2025
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Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, who now hosts the popular populist show War Room, lists three pillars of MAGA: a modest America-first foreign policy; a turn away from global trade and toward domestic manufacturing; and a crackdown on immigration.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
28 July 2025
Verb
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This is something that finally repulses Ivor, and that Orla also grapples with.—
Deborah Treisman,
New Yorker,
27 July 2025
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In Liberia, especially, the Peace Corps volunteers were repulsed by the ways that Americo-Liberians — the descendants of the Black Americans who founded the country — oppressed indigenous ethnic groups.—
Jonathan Zimmerman,
New York Daily News,
16 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stave off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stave%20off. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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