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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
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of stave off
The biting winter chill provides the perfect opportunity to lean into layering and get creative with your travel style while staving off the cold.
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Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 13 Dec. 2024
The main question left to answer is who should pay to stave off the worst of climate change’s ravages.
—Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 13 Dec. 2024
The Treasury Department will likely implement extraordinary measures to stave off a default in the new year.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 19 Dec. 2024
Users rave about its acne-quelling benefits—limiting excess oils and staving off stubborn breakouts.
—Kiana Murden, Vogue, 19 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stave off 
Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 13 Dec. 2024
The main question left to answer is who should pay to stave off the worst of climate change’s ravages.
—Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 13 Dec. 2024
The Treasury Department will likely implement extraordinary measures to stave off a default in the new year.
—Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 19 Dec. 2024
Users rave about its acne-quelling benefits—limiting excess oils and staving off stubborn breakouts.
—Kiana Murden, Vogue, 19 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stave off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stave off
Verb
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Invading enemy troops were repelled once Ukrainian forces began fighting back.Dennis Harvey, Variety, 8 Jan. 2025
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Similarly, in 1990, the United States made no serious effort to deter Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait but then took up arms to repel the attack after the fact.Michael Beckley, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Pivot or Die prompts one to reflect on the critical pivots needed to protect frontier-sector capitalism from overregulation and prevent its slide into the increasingly popular but less innovative model of business-government fusion.Clyde Wayne Crews Jr., Forbes, 12 Jan. 2025
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With research from the Manhattan Institute showing that police slow, prevent or uncover more serious crimes by taking all routine precautions, about 45% of all crimes reported ended in arrest, marking the second-highest rate in the past decade.Glenn Minnis | The Center Square contributor, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 12 Jan. 2025
Verb
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But more importantly, even the best-run organizations have a hard time resisting the urge to overpay — sometimes, wildly — when a key piece becomes available.John Hollinger, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
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While a majority were charged with nonviolent misdemeanor crimes, some were accused of conspiring to use force to resist the peaceful transfer of power.Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 6 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Skinner worried that our reaction to environmental catastrophe would come too late to avert it.Debra Hendrickson, WIRED, 4 Jan. 2025
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Legislation passed via budget reconciliation, which would allow the Senate to avert the 60-vote threshold from the filibuster, would need consensus among House Republicans with their majority of 219 Republicans to 215 Democrats.Katherine Faulders, ABC News, 4 Jan. 2025
Verb
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In 2024, both Finland and Poland passed legislation that allows border officials to turn back asylum seekers at their land borders.Amy Pope, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
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It's been a roller coaster for Rodgers, who has looked like a 41-year-old quarterback coming off a serious injury but has shown flashes of turning back the clock.Ryan Morik, Fox News, 4 Jan. 2025
Verb
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This seems designed to head off accusations that clubs can boost their balance sheet for PSR (profit and sustainability rules) or SCMP (Salary Cost Management Protocol) purposes.Richard Sutcliffe, The Athletic, 13 Jan. 2025
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Donnie has headed off to Brussels for a new scheme with a new den of thieves from the Balkans known as the Panthers, teaming with crafty Jovanna (Evin Ahmad) and her cohorts Dragon (Orli Shuka) and Slavko (Salvatore Esposito) on a new heist for a treasure trove of jewels.Pete Hammond, Deadline, 10 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Just as her head was turning away from any future on the NFL field, heartbreak urged her to reassess.Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 7 Jan. 2025
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Eizenstat shared the tale of Shirley Vasquez and her children with Carter who requested that his driver turn away from the airport and head to the Bronx.Cary Goodman, New York Daily News, 5 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Today, Ukrainian troops repulsed yet another attack by the 810th Naval Infantry Brigade around Pogrebki, the Ukrainian Center for Defense Strategies reported.David Axe, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
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Challenged and Denounced Millions were repulsed by Mr. Le Pen’s statements.Robert D. McFadden, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near stave off
Cite this Entry
“Stave off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stave%20off. Accessed 19 Jan. 2025.
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