1. past tense and past participle of stave; broke or crushed inward
2. prevented or delayed something undesirable
Usage: often used with ‘off’

Examples

• The barrel was staved in during the accident.
• The ship’s hull was staved by the rocks.
• They staved off bankruptcy by securing new funding.
• The medicine staved off the infection for several weeks.
• The wooden crate was completely staved after falling from the truck.
• We staved off hunger with some crackers until dinner.
• The old fence was staved in by the fallen tree.