staving off

verb

present participle of stave off
1
as in turning back
to drive back managed to stave off the invaders

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in preventing
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of staving off The question of whether to allow recording devices to make official legal transcripts has long been debated in California, where organizations representing court reporters have succeeded in staving off such changes. — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 11 Aug. 2026 The summer of 2025 was consumed by Newcastle (unsuccessfully) staving off interest in Alexander Isak. — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026 The Kansas City City Council approved a trio of ordinances on Thursday aimed at vacant properties that become nuisances and staving off demolition of historic buildings. — Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026 Of course, creating a culture of openness and respectful debate requires more than staving off government interference. — Annabelle Garland, The Atlantic, 23 July 2026 This latest heist recalls the brazen, daytime Louvre theft of France’s Crown Jewels in October, which, despite putting the country’s museums on relatively higher alert, does not appear to be staving off a spate of recent thefts. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 6 July 2026 Therefore, building mental endurance is essential to staving off decision fatigue and reducing the judgment errors that tend to surface when a leader's cognitive reserves run low. — Julian Hayes Ii, Forbes.com, 24 June 2026 But in the group stage of the competition, Gollner says awarding a point for a tie acknowledges the effort inherent in staving off defeat. — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 24 June 2026 Pavers or concrete designed to mimic natural stone slabs visually break up the surface, staving off parking lot connotations. — Marisa Suzanne Martin, The Spruce, 21 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for staving off
  1. turning back
  2. preventing
  3. turning away
  4. averting
  5. repelling
  6. heading off
  7. resisting
  8. repulsing
Verb
  • Cubans are planning their lives around the lights turning back on.
    — Andrea Rodriguez, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026
  • At times, they were seen swerving around other drivers and driving at speeds up to 95 miles per hour in the northbound lanes before getting onto the westbound I-10, exiting near downtown and then turning back toward Boyle Heights on surface streets.
    — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of turning back
Verb
  • The ability to monitor and identify unwanted behavior by AI agents in real-time or near real-time is critical to preventing another breach like this—perhaps one with even more serious consequences, such as an attack on a bank or hospital.
    — Emily Forlini, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Leaving the coil uninsulated allows heat and excess current to bypass hot spots, preventing damage and keeping the system stable.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of preventing
Verb
  • Slightly turning away from the camera, Schiffer revealed that the back of her bikini top was held together with the netting.
    — Lara Walsh, InStyle, 25 Aug. 2026
  • But with burnout on the rise in health care, many clinicians are turning away students.
    — Colleen Connolly, STAT, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of turning away
Verb
  • The settlement was reached during a California federal trial over claims brought by 29 states, averting one of the highest-profile tests yet of allegations that social media companies harmed young users.
    — Diana Novak Jones, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The first step in averting this spiral toward catastrophe is for both Beijing and Washington to bear in mind that these economic tools were not designed as weapons.
    — GLORIA XIONG, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of averting
Verb
  • This is more than a sophisticated arms race aimed at repelling threats and protecting borders.
    — Kamal Ahmed, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The Build Forward Ukraine team was also aware of Irpin and the special role the city had played in the dark early days, repelling the Russian ground offensive aimed at taking Kyiv, 14 miles south.
    — Howard LaFranchi, Christian Science Monitor, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of repelling
Verb
  • He was dedicated to the sport and competed regionally and locally in the Midwest, winning competitions before heading off to college.
    — Marissa Sulek, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • This fall, Underscores is heading off on tour in support of Charli xcx—the perfect end to a banner year.
    — Vogue, Vogue, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of heading off
Verb
  • During the arrest, Guerrero-Chavez began resisting, even slipping out of her handcuffs and attempting to run back to her vehicle, Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson said.
    — Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Wiener has long championed making housing easier to build, but in San Francisco resisting development is a bedrock cause for those on the city’s left.
    — Dan Walters, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of resisting
Verb
  • While there are dismemberments and other bits of gruesome violence to be found in the film, Badlands is largely aimed at endearing its audience rather than repulsing them.
    — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 4 Nov. 2025
Definition of repulsing

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staves off
staving off
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Cite this Entry

“Staving off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/staving%20off. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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