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Meaning & use

stave off

verb·Academic

Last updated

UK/ˈsteɪv ɒf/
US/ˈsteɪv ɔːf/

Meaning

  1. verbphrasal verb

    To keep something unwelcome away or delay it, usually for a time.

    Grammar: Takes an object, either before or after off: stave off hunger; stave it off.

    Patterns

    • stave off something
    • stave something off

    A small snack helped stave off hunger until dinner.

    The company borrowed money to stave off bankruptcy.

    She drank tea to stave off a cold.

Word forms

third person singularstaves off
past tensestaved off
past participlestaved off
-ing formstaving off

Common combinations

stave off hunger
Nuts helped him stave off hunger on the hike.
stave off disaster
A last-minute loan staved off disaster.
stave off defeat
The team staved off defeat with a late goal.
stave off illness
Vitamin C will not necessarily stave off illness.
stave off boredom
She read novels to stave off boredom.
temporarily stave off
The measures temporarily staved off collapse.

Synonyms and how they differ

ward off
Ward off is the closest match and slightly more about repelling a threat, while stave off emphasizes delay.
avert
Avert means to prevent completely, and is more formal than stave off.
delay
Delay does not imply that something bad is being resisted, which stave off does.
fend off
Fend off suggests actively pushing away an attacker or challenge.

Opposites

invitewelcome

Word family

stave noun
a stick or a staff of music
staved verb
past tense form
stave in phrasal verb
to break inward

Commonly confused: stave off or starve?

stave off vs starve

Starve means to suffer from lack of food, and sounds similar to stave but is a different verb.

Practice

The farmers dug a trench to _____ flooding for another week.

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