English Meaning & Definitions
To prevent something bad from happening, or to keep an unwanted person or thing away temporarily.
- โShe ate a handful of nuts to stave off hunger before dinner.โ
- โThe company raised additional capital to stave off bankruptcy.โ
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for โstave offโ.
Derived from the noun 'stave' (a wooden pole or staff), which historically referred to holding something back with a stick. In the early 17th century, 'stave' began to be used as a verb meaning to break a stave or ward off a blow, eventually fusing with the preposition 'off' to mean successfully delaying or preventing an undesirable event.
Picture holding a heavy wooden 'stave' (pole) to push back an attacker or danger 'off' of you.
Frequently Asked Questions About โstave offโ
1. What is the meaning of โstave offโ in English?
In English, stave off (verb) is defined as: โTo prevent something bad from happening, or to keep an unwanted person or thing away temporarily.โ.
2. How do you use โstave offโ in a sentence?
โShe ate a handful of nuts to stave off hunger before dinner.โ
3. What are English synonyms of โstave offโ?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of โstave offโ?
Derived from the noun 'stave' (a wooden pole or staff), which historically referred to holding something back with a stick. In the early 17th century, 'stave' began to be used as a verb meaning to break a stave or ward off a blow, eventually fusing with the preposition 'off' to mean successfully delaying or preventing an undesirable event.
๐ฌ๐งMore English Words to English
View all English words โA measurement of time indicating an instantaneous occurrence or a state where no time has elapsed.
The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.