1. one of the curved wooden strips that form the sides of a barrel or similar container
2. a set of five horizontal lines on which musical notes are written

1. to break or crush inward
2. to prevent or delay something bad from happening
Usage: usually used with ‘off’

Examples

• The cooper carefully shaped each stave before assembling the barrel.
• One of the barrel’s staves had cracked during shipping.
• The musician wrote the notes on the stave.
• The ship’s hull was staved in by the rocks.
• We need to stave off disaster with quick action.
• They managed to stave off bankruptcy for another year.
• The wooden crate was staved when it fell from the truck.