stave

American  

[stayv] / steɪv /

noun

• staves
  plural

1. one of the thin, narrow, shaped pieces of wood that form the sides of a cask, tub, or similar vessel.

2. a stick, rod, pole, or the like.

3. a rung of a ladder, chair, etc.

4. Prosody.

   1. a verse or stanza of a poem or song.

   2. the alliterating sound in a line of verse, as the w- sound in wind in the willows.

5. Music. staff.

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verb (used with object)

staved, stove, staving

1. to break in a stave or staves of (a cask or barrel) so as to release the wine, liquor, or other contents.

2. to release (wine, liquor, etc.) by breaking the cask or barrel.

3. to break or crush (something) inward (often followed byin ).

4. to break (a hole) in, especially in the hull of a boat.

5. to break to pieces; splinter; smash.

6. to furnish with a stave or staves.

7. to beat with a stave or staff.

verb (used without object)

staved, stove, staving

1. to become staved in, as a boat; break in or up.

2. to move along rapidly.

verb phrase

1. stave off

   1. to put, ward, or keep off, as by force or evasion.

   2. to prevent in time; forestall.

      He wasn't able to stave off bankruptcy.

stave British  

/ steɪv /

noun

1. any one of a number of long strips of wood joined together to form a barrel, bucket, boat hull, etc

2. any of various bars, slats, or rods, usually of wood, such as a rung of a ladder or a crosspiece bracing the legs of a chair

3. any stick, staff, etc

4. a stanza or verse of a poem

5. music

   1. an individual group of five lines and four spaces used in staff notation

   2. another word for staff 1

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verb

1. (often foll by in) to break or crush (the staves of a boat, barrel, etc) or (of the staves of a boat) to be broken or crushed

2. to burst or force (a hole in something)

3. (tr) to provide (a ladder, chair, etc) with a stave or staves

4. (tr) to sprain (a finger, toe, etc)

Synonym Usage

See verse.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unstaved
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• staves
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of stave

First recorded in 1125–75; (noun) Middle English, back formation from staves; (verb) derivative of the noun

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Explanation

A stave is the crosspiece between the legs of a chair or a wooden slat forming the side of a barrel. In music, it's the five lines you write notes on. Stave comes from the word staff, as in a walking stick. You're most likely to encounter the word stave if you're learning woodworking. If someone "staves in" a door, they've broken a hole in it. You also might hear the idiom "stave off," which means to hold off for a short time.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stave staves staved staving stove

He’s since rolled out plastic sheeting across the floors in an effort to stave off any additional destruction.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

New, temporary sand berms are helping to stave off the rest of the week’s waves, but Chernus said he knows they can’t last forever.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

To stave off creditors, some firms are using cash from new funds to invest in ailing companies as a sweetener to extend due dates on loans.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026

It can make us feel more alert, improve concentration and stave off tiredness.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

He had almost finished whittling the stave into shape, when he realized with a start that he was singing—singing!

From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley

Early-morning pilgrims had arrived by foot or car, some in traditional white smocks and thatched hats, carrying wooden staves.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

"In our model, the barrel staves spread out in steps," he says, "each step representing a new limiting factor that becomes active as the cell grows faster."

From Science Daily ● Nov. 11, 2025

France's Emmanuel Macron was on Friday due to pick a head of government tasked with pulling the country out of a political gridlock, in a move that staves off fresh elections for now.

From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2025

It means not all the cuts will go ahead and it staves off effective bankruptcy, but it also saddles Havering with high debt repayments for the next 20 years.

From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2024

The circus lions don’t care to know that their leader is a weakling human; the fiction guarantees their social well-being and staves off violent anarchy.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

An infusion of new funds approved by Congress this year and a waiver of eligibility procedures have staved off a potential crisis that would have left 4,200 back on the street.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

Powell’s calm but forceful defense of Fed independence likely staved off larger attacks on the institution and won him admiration and awards, like the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage award.

From MarketWatch ● May 10, 2026

Nevertheless, Bush’s protest at least temporarily staved off hundreds of thousands of Americans from being removed from their homes.

From Slate ● Oct. 23, 2025

Even after one devastating elbow surgery, then another, he staved off any suggestion of giving up pitching.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2025

I saw in this the reason for my being staved off so long and the reason for my late guardian’s declining to commit himself to the formal knowledge of such a scheme.

From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens

After the stock-market crash in October 1929, Hoover proved ineffective at staving off the Great Depression.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026

The company has also reportedly been in discussions about potential concessions in the hope of satisfying Bonta’s concerns and staving off a lawsuit.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 11, 2026

County officials said federal funding cuts will be a major factor in future spending — but they’re staving off layoffs and program cuts for now.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026

The Spaniard also had to dig deep to level at 1-1, staving off three break points himself.

From Barron's ● Nov. 11, 2025

Besides staving off economic collapse, the dams are ideologically beguiling to the family that runs the country.

From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden

Dan also has solar panels, a camping stove, a tent, wood supplies and a propane fireplace insert that can run off grid - without electricity or wood.

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026

They applied a harmless but uncomfortable heat sensation to the calf, similar to the brief pain someone might experience when accidentally touching a hot stove.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2026

In Kingston, N.H., an 80-year-old named Rick Russman told Reuters he will rely on a wood stove to help heat his home this winter.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026

It includes three studios, offices, tons of recording equipment, including two grand pianos, lounges, and a kitchen that pointedly lacks a stove.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

I ran them the last two miles to where the stove was and unhooked their tugs so they could rest while I had coffee.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen

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Related Words

• anticipate
• avert
• avoid
• counteract
• foil
• forestall
• halt
• preclude
• put an end to
• rule out
• thwart

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