How to Use stave off in a Sentence

stave off

verb
  • Still, that progress wasn’t enough to stave off a takeover.
    — Silas Allen, Dallas Morning News, 6 Feb. 2026
  • The bridge fund has helped stave off that worst-case scenario — for now.
    — Liam Reilly, CNN Money, 21 Mar. 2026
  • So this bill could help stave off a potential flood of suits.
    — Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 12 June 2025
  • Her willingness to stave off the drink doesn’t last long.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 17 May 2026
  • That may be enough to stave off bankruptcy.
    — John Csiszar, CNBC, 2 June 2026
  • Each point helped stave off the Buffs, who kept hanging around.
    — Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 21 Jan. 2026
  • But could one threat be trained perhaps to help stave off the other?
    — IEEE Spectrum, 14 Aug. 2025
  • The team had hoped to stave off travel for a day after the game.
    — ABC News, 19 June 2026
  • Favorite method of staving off a hangover?
    — The Editors, Robb Report, 28 Dec. 2025
  • Outside, there are fire pits for small groups to enjoy and stave off the cold.
    — Fritz Hahn, Washington Post, 6 Dec. 2023
  • Houston needed a win to stave off a sweep and slow a spiral.
    — Matt Kawahara, Houston Chronicle, 30 Apr. 2026
  • Past this threshold, even shade, sleep, and water won’t be enough to stave off death.
    — Eleanor Cummins, The New Republic, 3 Aug. 2023
  • Osaka saved one, bouncing on her feet to stave off the next.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2025
  • The state could also stave off deep cuts by raising more revenue.
    — Andrew Sheeler, Sacramento Bee, 9 May 2024
  • The Christ on a cross sculpture managed to stave off the flames.
    — Jose R. Gonzalez, AZCentral.com, 24 Sep. 2025
  • Many kids receive a peanut paste to help stave off starvation.
    — Michal Ruprecht, NPR, 29 July 2025
  • These scenes are funny enough to stave off any viewer concern.
    — Odie Henderson, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Sep. 2023
  • There are also legal guardrails around use that are staving off adoption.
    — Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Aug. 2024
  • Bieber happens to agree and uses the ointment to stave off crusty, dry lips.
    — Anamaria Glavan, Allure, 16 July 2024
  • That might be why Bieber uses the ointment to stave off crusty, dry lips.
    — Anamaria Glavan, Allure, 29 Nov. 2024
  • Lined gloves or fuzzy headbands will help stave off the cold and keep your hands, ears, and neck nice and toasty.
    — Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 29 Jan. 2026
  • There are treatments to stave off the consequences.
    — Liz Szabo, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Lowry will have his hands full staving off the strongest field to date in 2025.
    — Edgar Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2025
  • Aid agencies scrambled to stave off famine amid shortages of food and fuel.
    — Kareem Fahim, Washington Post, 12 Oct. 2023
  • But staving off the existential threat is only a first step.
    — Oliver Whang, New Yorker, 7 Aug. 2025
  • Making these small shifts can help stave off the stress and guilt that can thwart your self-improvement goals.
    — Michele Patterson Ford, The Conversation, 15 Jan. 2026
  • Still, these efforts have not been able to stave off financial hardship.
    — Diane Harris, TIME, 27 June 2024
  • That threat, which critics warned could be a war crime if carried out, appears to have been staved off for now.
    — Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2026
  • But aid groups have warned the trickle of aid entering the enclave is not enough to stave off famine.
    — Chantal Da Silva, NBC news, 28 July 2025
  • The Triton Neo 16 has just enough ports to stave off the need for a dock.
    — PCMAG, 27 Nov. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stave off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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