stave
Use Stave in a sentence
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.
5.
verb (used with object)
6.
7.
to release (wine, liquor, etc.) by breaking the cask or barrel.
8.
to break or crush (something) inward (often followed by in ).
9.
to break (a hole) in, especially in the hull of a boat.
10.
to break to pieces; splinter; smash.
00:10
Stave
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is absquatulate. Does it mean:
| to spend time idly; loaf. |
| to flee; abscond: |
verb (used without object)
Verb phrases 13.
to become staved in, as a boat; break in or up.
14.
to move along rapidly.
15.
stave off,
a.
to put, ward, or keep off, as by force or evasion.
b.
to prevent in time; forestall: He wasn't able to stave off bankruptcy.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To stave
Collins
World English Dictionary
stave (steɪv) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 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 |
| a. (Brit) an individual group of five lines and four spaces used in staff notation | |
| b. another word for staff | |
| —vb (usually foll by in) , staves, staving, staved, stove | |
| 6. | ( |
| 7. | to burst or force (a hole in something) |
| 8. | (tr) to provide (a ladder, chair, etc) with a stave or staves |
| 9. | (Scot) (tr) to sprain (a finger, toe, etc) |
| [C14: back formation from staves, plural of | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
stave
"piece of a barrel," 1750, back-formation from staves (late 14c.), plural of staff (cf. leaves/leaf), possibly from O.E., but not recorded there. The verb (to stave in, past tense stove) is 1590s, originally nautical, on notion of bashing in the staves of a cask and letting
out the contents; stave off (1620s) is lit. "keep off with a staff," as of dogs.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
For years, green tea has been believed by some to lower cholesterol, prevent rheumatoid arthritis and even stave off cancer.
Using energy to stave off entropy is one of the basic functions of life.
Other vulnerable financial giants scrambled to sell themselves or raise enough capital to stave off a similar fate.
Smart choices in the kitchen can help stave off heart disease.
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