Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Excellent; exceeding: as, we had a staving good time.
  • noun Staves collectively, as those which form the curb about a turbine water-wheel.
  • noun In forging, a method of shortening or compacting a heated bar by striking blows on its end.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A casing or lining of staves; especially, one encircling a water wheel.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb Present participle of stave.
  • noun A casing or lining of staves, especially one encircling a water wheel.

Etymologies

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Examples

  • Although the financial supports for banks and auto makers were effective in staving off a much deeper economic crisis and have largely been repaid to the Federal government, they caused resentment among many because large corporations were given greater assistance than that which was given to families facing personal income or mortgage problems.

    Bradford Kane: The Tea Party's Four Themes and Their Antidotes for the November Election Bradford Kane 2010

  • Although the financial supports for banks and auto makers were effective in staving off a much deeper economic crisis and have largely been repaid to the Federal government, they caused resentment among many because large corporations were given greater assistance than that which was given to families facing personal income or mortgage problems.

    Bradford Kane: The Tea Party's Four Themes and Their Antidotes for the November Election Bradford Kane 2010

  • I thought I was doing well in staving off the inevitable post-Book Fair cold, but evidently I only delayed it a bit and last night I woke around 4am up with full-on sore throat, achiness, etc. Just in time for my birthday today.

    Breakfast in Bed desayunoencama 2007

  • Our tail and ball gunner, Jan Brown and Tracy Kelly, respectively, were doing an excellent job in staving off attacks from that quarter.

    POW JOURNAL OF 2LT. JOHN B. CIHON GOTHA MISSION - FEB. 24, 1944 1944

  • The journey starts at her local Brooklyn sanitation division, then explodes into the world-wide business of waste disposal, which seems 1) very profitable and 2) largely an exercise in staving off the inevitable.

    Nightstand inspection! Who's reading something awesome? | EW.com 2009

  • As soon as they get around to 1) providing enough content that’s worthy of high-def; 2) stop charging up the wazoo for the wire and plastic to connect it; 3) offer definitive estimates of quality and value; 4) make buying high-def equipment a comfortable experience rather than an exercise in staving off agressive salespeople; then 5) I might not mind spending all that money on it.

    HDTV Makers Must Add More Features to Increase Sales - Bits Blog - NYTimes.com 2008

  • But perhaps interested in staving off the eventual robot rebellion (or maybe they just saw one of the Terminator movies), the Pentagon is also investing $4 billion in a research program to make sure this new army doesn’t do anything that might violate the Geneva Conventions.

    Speaking of Battle Droids « Antiwar.com Blog 2008

  • What does Mr. Bernanke want to do, cripple an already faltering economy, by "staving" off inflation, until it collapses anew?

    What's Wrong With the Canadian Loonie? 2007

  • The findings add to mixed evidence that the drug can raise a person's risk of heart attack or stroke and cause cancer, while other research shows benefits, such as staving off Alzheimer's.

    2News Local News 2009

  • Other research has shown benefits, such as staving off Alzheimer's, and many doctors view THC as a valuable way to treat weight loss associated with AIDS, and nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy in cancer patients.

    FOXNews.com 2009

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