stave off

stave off
verb
prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening (Freq. 3)
-

Let's avoid a confrontation

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head off a confrontation

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avert a strike

• Syn:
↑debar, ↑forefend, ↑forfend, ↑obviate, ↑deflect, ↑avert, ↑head off, ↑fend off, ↑avoid, ↑ward off
• Derivationally related forms: ↑avoidable (for: ↑avoid), ↑avertible (for: ↑avert), ↑avertable (for: ↑avert), ↑obviation (for: ↑obviate)
• Hypernyms: ↑prevent, ↑forestall, ↑foreclose, ↑preclude, ↑forbid
• Verb Frames:
-

Somebody ——s something

-

Something ——s something

* * *

transitive verb
1. : to beat off (an animal or person) with or as if with a staff or rod : drive or fight off
2. : to ward or fend off (someone) : hold back : keep away

let's stave the greaser off till dark — Zane Grey

often had to stave off creditors — W.A.Swanberg

3. : to forestall or prevent (something adverse) especially at the last moment or in extremity : deflect, avert

the last form of credit that staved off foreclosure — New Republic

* * *

ˌstave ˈoff [transitive] [present tense I/you/we/they stave off he/she/it staves off present participle staving off past tense staved off past participle staved off] phrasal verb
to stop something from happening

We’re still trying to stave off a trade war with the US.

Thesaurus: to prevent something from happeningsynonym to kill a person or animalsynonym
Main entry: stave

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stave off [phrasal verb]
stave (someone or something) off or stave off (someone or something) : to keep (someone or something) away usually for a short time

He's trying to stave off his creditors.

Our company cannot stave bankruptcy off any longer.

She ate a few crackers to stave off hunger. [=to prevent herself from getting too hungry]

• • •
Main Entry: ↑stave

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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Synonyms:
, , , , , , , , ,


Look at other dictionaries:

  • stave off — (something) to keep something away or keep something from happening. The Federal Reserve lowered interest rates to boost the economy and stave off a recession. Death is natural and inevitable we can t stave it off forever. Related vocabulary:… …   New idioms dictionary

  • stave off — index avert, contain (restrain), defer (put off), deter, dissuade, forestall, hold up ( …   Law dictionary

  • stave off — PHRASAL VERB If you stave off something bad, or if you stave it off, you succeed in stopping it happening for a while. [V P n (not pron)] In a desperate attempt to stave off defeat, he reluctantly promised wholesale reform of the constitution...… …   English dictionary

  • stave off — phrasal verb [transitive] Word forms stave off : present tense I/you/we/they stave off he/she/it staves off present participle staving off past tense staved off past participle staved off to stop something from happening We re still trying to… …   English dictionary

  • stave off — here, eat some crackers to stave off your hunger Syn: avert, prevent, avoid, counter, preclude, forestall, nip in the bud; ward off, fend off, head off, keep off, keep at bay …   Thesaurus of popular words

  • stave off — transitive verb Date: 1611 1. to fend off < staving off creditors > 2. to ward off (as something adverse) ; forestall < trying to stave off disaster > …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • stave off — verb to prevent something from happening; to obviate or avert He drank plenty of orange juice, hoping to stave off the cold making the rounds at the office. ,Finnish …   Wiktionary

  • stave off — phr verb Stave off is used with these nouns as the object: ↑disaster …   Collocations dictionary

  • stave off something — stave off (something) to keep something away or keep something from happening. The Federal Reserve lowered interest rates to boost the economy and stave off a recession. Death is natural and inevitable we can t stave it off forever. Related… …   New idioms dictionary

  • stave off — I (Roget s 3 Superthesaurus) v. ward off, hold off, fend off, avoid, repel, block. II (Roget s Thesaurus II) I verb To prohibit from occurring by advance planning or action: avert, forestall, forfend, obviate, preclude, prevent, rule out, ward… …   English dictionary for students

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