stave off

verb

1. (tr, adverb) to avert or hold off (something undesirable or harmful), esp temporarily

   to stave off hunger

Idioms and Phrases

Keep or hold away, repel, as in The Federal Reserve Board is determined to stave off inflation. This metaphoric expression transfers beating something off with a staff or stave to nonphysical repulsion. [c. 1600]

Example Sentences

China is still negotiating a deal with the US that would stave off crippling tariffs and possible sanctions for buying Russian crude.

From BBC

Milton worried that parents were listening to misinformation from anti-vaccine groups — including one founded by Kennedy — that diminished the need for vaccination by inaccurately claiming that vitamin A staved off the disease’s worst outcomes.

From Salon

The auto bailouts were emergency initiatives, taken to stave off what was shaping up as the auto industry’s imminent collapse.

From Los Angeles Times

Thailand's is a more recent story of being forced to sacrifice territories in the early 20th Century to stave off French or British colonial rule.

From BBC

The Briton showed resilience in the early stages by staving off five break points in her opening service game.

From BBC