Stave Off

Pronunciation: /steɪv ɔf/

Definitions of stave off

verb to prevent or delay something unpleasant or dangerous

Example Sentences

A1 I drink orange juice to stave off a cold.

A2 She eats garlic to stave off vampires.

B1 He exercises regularly to stave off heart disease.

B2 The company implemented new security measures to stave off cyber attacks.

C1 The government is taking measures to stave off an economic recession.

C2 The research team is working on a vaccine to stave off the spread of the virus.

Examples of stave off in a Sentence

formal The doctor prescribed medication to help stave off the infection.

informal I drink orange juice every day to try and stave off getting sick.

slang I take my vitamins to stave off feeling run down.

figurative She tried to stave off her fears by staying busy with work.

Grammatical Forms of stave off

• past tense: staved
• plural: stave off
• comparative: more stave off
• superlative: most stave off
• present tense: staves off
• future tense: will stave off
• perfect tense: have staved off
• continuous tense: is staving off
• singular: stave off
• positive degree: stave off
• infinitive: to stave off
• gerund: staving off
• participle: staved off

Origin and Evolution of stave off

First Known Use: 1250 year

Language of Origin: Old English

Story behind the word: The phrase 'stave off' originated from Middle English, derived from the Old English word 'stafas' meaning 'staves' or 'rods' used for defense.

Evolution of the word: Originally used in a literal sense of warding off physical attacks with staves or rods, the phrase evolved to signify preventing or delaying something undesirable or harmful.