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2
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
That kind of meal can be hard on someone who's been eating clean for weeks, so keeping a good digestive tea handy can stave off bloating and other issues.
—
Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 1 Mar. 2025
None of the major chains charged them until the early 2000s when, facing declining sales, Papa John’s, Pizza Hut, and Domino’s started charging between 50 cents and $1 for deliveries in a bid to stave off declining sales.
—Mark Dent, thehustle.co, 28 Feb. 2025
Milwaukee staved off disaster warnings with an inspired (if cosmetic) run for the NBA Cup.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, The Athletic, 25 Feb. 2025
Lowry will have his hands full staving off the strongest field to date in 2025.
—Edgar Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stave off
Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 1 Mar. 2025
None of the major chains charged them until the early 2000s when, facing declining sales, Papa John’s, Pizza Hut, and Domino’s started charging between 50 cents and $1 for deliveries in a bid to stave off declining sales.
—Mark Dent, thehustle.co, 28 Feb. 2025
Milwaukee staved off disaster warnings with an inspired (if cosmetic) run for the NBA Cup.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, The Athletic, 25 Feb. 2025
Lowry will have his hands full staving off the strongest field to date in 2025.
—Edgar Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stave off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stave off
Verb
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Kyiv's troops have repelled months of Russian counteroffensives, but recent weeks have seen their salient crumble and Russian forces retake significant ground.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
13 Mar. 2025
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This desperation, rather than repelling me, became a source of connection.—
Priscilla Posada,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The combination of unsaturated fats and soluble and insoluble fiber can help prevent spikes in your blood sugar and reduce insulin resistance.15 Different nuts provide different amounts of nutrients per serving.—
Chelsea Rae Bourgeois, RDN,
Health,
13 Mar. 2025
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However, during intake, BOP staff confiscate and discard all medications, citing efforts to prevent the introduction of illicit drugs.—
Walter Pavlo,
Forbes,
13 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Many assume government workers will resist new technology, but this overlooks a simple truth: The entire U.S. workforce already navigates sophisticated technology in their daily lives.—
Alex Saric,
Forbes,
19 Mar. 2025
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To that end, her drama resists sensationalizing the Barnetts’ claims, and then rejects them all together.—
Angie Han,
The Hollywood Reporter,
18 Mar. 2025
Verb
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On Saturday’s episode of The Excerpt podcast: A government shutdown has been averted.—
Taylor Wilson,
USA TODAY,
17 Mar. 2025
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That would-be crisis was averted, but the scare added to a history of flooding disasters that have plagued those communities.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacramento Bee,
15 Mar. 2025
Verb
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More than likely, they are caught, Helly is forced to go upstairs to turn back into Helena, and either Mark is murdered for doing such damage to Lumon’s plan (and for killing a Lumon executive), or Innie Mark essentially dies when Lumon also forces him to go upstairs.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
21 Mar. 2025
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A number of overnight flights out of L.A. were asked to turn back three to four hours into their journeys.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Burt buys Irving a one-way ticket and wishes him well as Irving heads off into the unknown.—
Ethan Shanfeld,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2025
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Gym and sports equipment will also be tariffed, though manufacturers may have stockpiled some materials in anticipation of the tariffs going into effect, enabling them to head off price hikes for a short period, Mosley noted.—
Megan Cerullo,
CBS News,
12 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The legal document details that Lawrence didn’t have the correct paperwork to take her dog, a 9-year-old miniature schnauzer, on the flight and was subsequently turned away.—
Marc Griffin,
VIBE.com,
20 Mar. 2025
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An American retreat to isolationist policies, spotlit by the constant coverage President Trump's actions garner, is already prompting a turn away from the U.S. and our democratic values toward our adversaries, like Russia and China.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
19 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Kay’s particular diet was a recurring talking point on the show, with condiments such as ketchup and mayo among the foods that repulsed the TV voice of the Yankees.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
4 Jan. 2025
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These same, once skeptical business leaders rallied around Trump in 2017 but were repulsed by many of his words and actions within eight months, withdrawing support, not returning to give him a second chance until now.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven Tian,
TIME,
17 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stave off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stave%20off. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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