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stave off
verb
- 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
In another unforgettable image from the finale, Laurie shows up to dinner with her friends after a day of staving off an alcohol-and-life-choices hangover.
In the process, they're shifting focus from just staving off the infringement of their rights and freedoms from outside actors to cultivating joy and belonging within their communities.
In recent weeks, the company - which has debts of nearly £20bn - secured a £3bn rescue loan to stave off the prospect of the company coming under government control.
The troubled firm secured the rescue loan in February, to stave off the prospect of the debt-laden company coming under government control.
Some of those usually loyal to the leadership have been privately advocating more flexibility on her fiscal rules to stave off painful cuts.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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