stave off

verb

staved off; staving off; staves off

transitive verb

1

: to fend off

staving off creditors

2

: to ward off (something adverse) : forestall

trying to stave off disaster

Synonyms of stave off

• repel
• resist
• turn back
• fend (off)
• turn away
• repulse
• beat off

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

The Pittsburgh Penguins staved off elimination for the second straight game with a clutch Game 5 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night, but celebrations were briefly halted when a skirmish erupted over a controversial hit on Sidney Crosby after the final buzzer. —Paulina Dedaj, FOXNews.com, 28 Apr. 2026

Once the initial shock wore off, though, McKinnon and her parents set out to try to stave off what was believed to be inevitable. —Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 28 Apr. 2026

Though Smith might have to stave off Charles, an elite gunner prior to tearing his ACL in 2024, missing all of last season. —Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026

Defensive end will be interesting to sort out, as Woodfork will have plenty of competition to stave off to make the rotation. —Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for stave off

• cerenkov
• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff

Kids Definition

stave off

verb

: to force or keep away : fend off

stave off trouble