The citizen was not able to stave the mugger off.
•The army staved off the attackers for three hours without letup.
Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.
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
head someone/something off — 1 he went to head off the cars: INTERCEPT, divert, deflect, redirect, re route, draw away, turn away. 2 they headed off a row: FORESTALL, avert, ward … Useful english dictionary
fend someone/something off — Syn: ward off, head off, stave off, hold off, repel, repulse, resist, fight off … Synonyms and antonyms dictionary
beat someone/something off — Syn: repel, fight off, fend off, stave off, repulse, drive away/back, push back … Synonyms and antonyms dictionary
head someone/something off — 1) he went to head off the visitors Syn: intercept, divert, redirect, re route, turn away 2) they headed off an argument Syn: forestall, avert, stave off, nip in the bud, prevent, avoid … Synonyms and antonyms dictionary
beat someone/something off — REPEL, fight off, fend off, stave off, repulse, drive away/back, force back, beat back, push back, put to flight. → beat * * * succeed in resisting an attacker or an attack ■ win against a challenge or rival … Useful english dictionary
stave — stave1 [steıv] n [Date: 1300 1400; Origin: staves] 1.) the set of five lines on which music is written 2.) one of the thin curved pieces of wood fitted close together to form the sides of a ↑barrel stave 2 stave2 v past tense and past participle… … Dictionary of contemporary English
stave — 1 noun (C) 1 the set of five lines on which music is written 2 one of the thin curved pieces of wood fitted close together to form the sides of a barrel 1 (1) 2 verb stave in phrasal verb past tense and past participle staved or stove (I, T) to… … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
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 — (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
fend off — verb prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening Let s avoid a confrontation head off a confrontation avert a strike • Syn: ↑debar, ↑forefend, ↑forfend, ↑obviate, ↑ … Useful english dictionary
