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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
Community water fluoridation is one of the safest and most affordable ways to prevent tooth decay — in turn staving off pulmonary issues, heart disease and diabetes.
—
Samantha Korn, Sun Sentinel, 24 June 2025
For players, this means staving off desperation during close-game situations.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2025
In such a situation, with overall U.S. deterrence weakened, China could exploit the moment to launch a conventional attack against its neighbors, or even be emboldened to use nuclear weapons to stave off the United States.
—Vipin Narang, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025
Because of the dangers of unhindered possibility, the expansion of choice came with guardrails, rules meant to stave off anarchy and social disorder.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for stave off
Samantha Korn, Sun Sentinel, 24 June 2025
For players, this means staving off desperation during close-game situations.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2025
In such a situation, with overall U.S. deterrence weakened, China could exploit the moment to launch a conventional attack against its neighbors, or even be emboldened to use nuclear weapons to stave off the United States.
—Vipin Narang, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025
Because of the dangers of unhindered possibility, the expansion of choice came with guardrails, rules meant to stave off anarchy and social disorder.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for stave off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stave off
Verb
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Fill the hot water, add a small amount of dish soap, and a disinfecting spray to repel odors and maintain bacteria at bay.—
Ashlyn Needham,
Southern Living,
11 July 2025
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The massive aerial assault involved 728 drones and 13 missiles, Ukraine’s Air Force said, eclipsing the previous record number of 539 drones, set on July 4, by hundreds – but it was largely repelled, with the damage limited and no immediate reports of deaths.—
Lex Harvey,
CNN Money,
9 July 2025
Verb
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Remove dying blooms and seed capsules to prevent unnecessary seed development that can use up the plant’s nutrients and energy.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
11 July 2025
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By enabling full site isolation, as long as your Android device has at least 4GB of RAM, to prevent the loading of malicious sites in the same process as legitimate websites.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
11 July 2025
Verb
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While other European markets have struggled with EV sales or considered rolling back clean transport policies, the UK has resisted industry calls for rollbacks and its committed to its long range policies.—
Margo T. Oge,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
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Trump had for months resisted pressure from Kyiv and NATO allies to turn the screw on Putin, engaging directly with Russia and distancing from Ukraine in the hopes that smoothing U.S. relations with Moscow would bring about a rapid end to the war.—
Shane Croucher
John Feng,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 July 2025
Verb
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But with a tentative deal put in place by January, which averted a second strike, the union of 45,000 dockworkers got some reprieve on automation—at least enough to maintain a certain number of jobs.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
11 July 2025
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Carney posted a 114-word response on X late Thursday that appeared to avert further escalation of trade tensions while striking a firm posture in defense of Canada's economic interests.—
Max Zahn,
ABC News,
11 July 2025
Verb
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That timeline might be fitting since the Ducks turned back the clock with the hire of coach Joel Quenneville, who will be 67 when the puck drops on the season opener and won Stanley Cup titles in 2010, 2013 and 2015 with the Chicago Blackhawks.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
7 July 2025
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But that wasn’t always the case, and this past week NESN turned back the clock and gave Red Sox fans a different kind of viewing experience.—
Mac Cerullo,
Hartford Courant,
7 July 2025
Verb
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Snelling has said investigators were pulling video surveillance footage from the area, asking the public for tips on who is to blame, and working to head off any retaliation.—
Sam Charles,
Chicago Tribune,
9 July 2025
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Sure, Amelia gets to do some cool stuff like scamper on all fours toward a target, scramble down a wall like a spider, rip the head off one poor unfortunate and neutralize entire tactical units with her dazzling fight skills.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
25 June 2025
Verb
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Both works are countdowns of a kind, but where Bowie shouts into the void, Drake gently turns away from it.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
5 July 2025
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That means, on average, more than 96 out of every 100 applicants were turned away, many of them top of their class, test score-perfect, and extracurricular-rich.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
4 July 2025
Verb
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After a disastrous trip to Mexico where Irina appeared repulsed by everything Zack did, the couple split and Zack went crawling back to Bliss.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
13 June 2025
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Clearly repulsed by the ravages of war, Lear kept the girl a secret, presumably went AWOL, and created new identities for them.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
13 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stave off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stave%20off. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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