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Grammar fix

stave off

delay or prevent something bad or unwanted

to stop something unpleasant, harmful, or unwanted from happening for a period of time, usually by taking action to delay it, but not necessarily to stop it completely.

phrasal verbC1occasional

Hear it in context

Notice where the phrase sounds natural.

  • Taking regular breaks can help stave off mental fatigue during long study sessions.health
  • Many people exercise regularly to stave off health problems as they get older.IELTS speaking

Fix the pattern

Pattern: stave off + noun (usually something negative: illness, crisis, boredom, disaster, hunger, etc.)

WrongHe drank coffee to stave off from sleep.

RightHe drank coffee to stave off sleep.

'Stave off' takes the object directly — no 'from'.

Patternstave off + noun (usually something negative: illness, crisis, boredom, disaster, hunger, etc.)

Use it right

Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.

Stiff She ate a snack to postpone the onset of hunger.

Natural She had a snack to stave off the hunger.

'Stave off' is the idiomatic 'hold something bad at bay for a while'; the formal version is wordy.

Build natural chunks

Words that usually travel with it.

  • stave off + threat
    hungerboredoma crisisbankruptcy

Don't confuse it

'Stave off' is different from 'prevent' because it means to delay or keep something away for a time, not to stop it permanently. It is also more formal than 'put off' or 'hold off'.

Try it in Daily Speak →