Stave off means to stop something bad from happening, or delay it, by holding it at a distance. Emergency funding staved off the theatre's closure; a snack staves off hunger until dinner. Most often it's a temporary fix: the trouble has been pushed back, but it's still close.
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stave off a threat / closure / hunger; stave something off; stave it off
- Emergency funding helped stave off the theatre's closure.
- We ate a small snack to stave off hunger until dinner.
- The repair staved off a larger problem for another month.
What changed
First versionThe payment helped stave off it for a few weeks.
RevisionThe payment helped stave it off for a few weeks.
We say prevent it or delay it, with the pronoun at the end, so stave off it looks right. But a short pronoun goes inside: stave it off. The past form is staved off.
Prevent is neutral and often permanent. Stave off means push trouble back and buy time, with some effort. Put off means postpone something of your own, often something you'd rather avoid: put off the meeting.
Your turn
Choose the correct pronoun position: Closure was likely, but the donation helped ___.
Show the answer
stave it off — The pronoun it goes between stave and off: stave it off.
Describe a temporary fix that delayed a problem at home, at work or on a trip.
A temporary roof repair staved off further water damage until the builders arrived.
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