stave

[steyv]

noun

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.

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

/ 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

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)

Other Word Forms

• unstaved adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of stave¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of stave¹

C14: back formation from staves , plural of _staff ¹

Synonym Study

See verse.

Example Sentences

Appoint Kevin Muscat now please and don't consider the other mediocre "did well from limited resources or staved off relegation" candidates please.

Read more on BBC

Backup quarterback Mac Jones carved up the defense with quick passes that staved off the pass rush and challenged linebackers and defensive backs.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The security-services provider’s blockbuster IPO comes amid a string of public listings from European companies in the past two months, after market volatility staved off new listings for much of the year.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

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.

Read more on Barron's

Powered by Judge’s heroics, the Yankees turned an early 6-1 deficit into a dramatic 9-6 win, staving off elimination in this best-of-five American League Division Series for at least one more day.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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