From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishstavestave1 /steɪv/ noun [countable] 1 APMthe set of five lines on which music is written2 APMone of the thin curved pieces of wood fitted close together to form the sides of a barrel
Examples from the Corpus
stave• Many of the older men, the ones I took to be workers, carried iron staves.• Troops opened fire on crowds armed with iron staves and knives.• The rough staves were usually imported from Scandinavia and were brought up river by barge.• Early casks had butt joints but later the staves were tongued and grooved.• She wandered all over the stave and produced a curious counterpoint to the tune.• The staves were subjected to heat, usually from a small fire of shavings to form them into the characteristic shape.• This is placed between two staves and moved to wherever you want it by using the cursor keys.• At first, the Sisters themselves tried knocking in a few nails or propping up walls with staves.stavestave2 verb → stave something ↔ in → stave something ↔ off→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
stave• Parts of the grandiose Stalin-era building were sold to casino owners to raise money to stave off closure.• Mr Gusinsky is seeking foreign investors to stave off Gazprom's grab.• The question humankind must ask is whether the balancing act the president suggests is enough to stave off global devastation.• His ambition was to eat as little as possible, and in this way to stave off his hunger.• Otton hitched on to this ride and had so much fun that he managed to stave off the customary platoon with Kyle Wachholtz.• These were noises to stave off the silence into which misery might seep, noises to throw against the hardness of life.• To cope with this, the manager has to try and stave off time pressures without losing the momentum of gaining popularity.• The longer you stave that off, the less time you will spend building fatigue toxins.From Longman Business Dictionarystavestave /steɪv/ verb → stave something → off→ See Verb tableOrigin stave1 (1300-1400) staves 