Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.
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 — verb prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening (Freq. 3) Let s avoid a confrontation head off a confrontation avert a strike • Syn: ↑debar, ↑forefend, ↑forfend, ↑ … Useful english 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
