stave

[ steyv ]

/ steɪv /

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See synonyms for: stave / stove on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

a stick, rod, pole, or the like.

a rung of a ladder, chair, etc.

Prosody.

a verse or stanza of a poem or song.
the alliterating sound in a line of verse, as the w-sound in wind in the willows.

Music. staff¹ (def. 10).

verb (used with object), staved or stove, stav·ing.

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

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

to break or crush (something) inward (often followed by in).

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

to break to pieces; splinter; smash.

to furnish with a stave or staves.

to beat with a stave or staff.

verb (used without object), staved or stove, stav·ing.

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

to move along rapidly.

Verb Phrases

stave off,

to put, ward, or keep off, as by force or evasion.
to prevent in time; forestall: He wasn't able to stave off bankruptcy.

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Origin of stave

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

synonym study for stave

4. See verse.

OTHER WORDS FROM stave

un·staved, adjective

Words nearby stave

staurolite, stauropegion, stauroplegia, stauroscope, Stavanger, stave, stave off, staves, stavesacre, Stavropol, stavudine

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use stave in a sentence

This vacuum-insulated, spill-proof option, which keeps your drink chilled for hours without refrigeration and staves off condensation, comes in a rainbow of colors.
Best wine chiller: Keep your vino at the perfect temp every time|Irena Collaku|July 22, 2021|Popular-Science
Four weeks after the injections, all 20 of the participants had developed the antibodies needed to stave off the infection.
The Race for the Ebola Vaccine|Abby Haglage|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And how much do you need to sweat to stave off the disease that kills 500,000 people every year?
Running 15 Miles a Week Could Slash Alzheimer’s Risk|DailyBurn|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Will “loyalty cards” be enough to stave of a Republican massacre of House Democrats on Tuesday?
The Democrats’ Simple Midterm Weapon|Ben Jacobs|November 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST

No surprise, therefore, that women are desperate to stave off the “visible signs” of aging.
Nicole Kidman Botox Insanity: Why All Women Lose Out When We Obsess Over Stars’ Faces|Emma Woolf|May 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sure ASMR clips can put you to sleep and help stave off insomnia, maybe even get rid of that nasty headache you've had for days.
ASMR and the Rise of the Whisper Fetish|Aurora Snow|December 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Groping around, I found a stout stick or stave, put my back to the wall, and beat about me blindly but with vigor.
Famous Adventures And Prison Escapes of the Civil War|Various
Procure a good barrel with a bottom and cut off each alternate stave at both ends close up to the first hoop.
The Boy Mechanic, Book 2|Various
Mupugung (mupapugung) sa pulsu ang kindi, Candies will stave off hunger.
A Dictionary of Cebuano Visayan|John U. Wolff
And sang a stave and drained a quart and called aloud for more.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 146, January 28, 1914|Various
The poor fellows were able to stave off starvation by visiting various free lunches during the day.
The Iron Puddler|James J. Davis

British Dictionary definitions for stave

stave

/ (steɪv) /

noun

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

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

any stick, staff, etc

a stanza or verse of a poem

music

British an individual group of five lines and four spaces used in staff notation
another word for staff 1 (def. 9)

verb staves, staving, staved or stove

(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

(tr usually foll by in) to burst or force (a hole in something)

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

(tr) Scot to sprain (a finger, toe, etc)

Word Origin for stave

C14: back formation from staves, plural of staff 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

stave

Origin of stave

synonym study for stave

OTHER WORDS FROM stave

Words nearby stave

Words related to stave

How to use stave in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for stave

Word Origin for stave