1
: any of the narrow strips of wood or narrow iron plates placed edge to edge to form the sides, covering, or lining of a vessel (such as a barrel) or structure
4
staved or stove
ˈstōv 
; staving
; staving
1
: to smash a hole in
stove in the boat
also
: to crush or break inward
staved in several ribs
2
: to break in the staves of (a cask)
3
: to drive or thrust away
1
: to walk or move rapidly
2
archaic
: to become stove in
—used of a boat or ship
Examples of stave in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 15 May 2024
Throughout history, walking sticks, staves and canes were also used as tools for self-defense, storytelling and as status symbols.
—Tiney Ricciardi, The Denver Post, 8 Apr. 2024
Depending upon humidity, the stave will have dried enough for final shaping in two to three weeks.
—Keith McCafferty, Field & Stream, 29 June 2023
And over the past few years, different releases in its Wood Finishing Series have come out, each finished with a variety of oak staves that are cooked to different levels to impart unique flavors into the whiskey.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 16 Feb. 2024
The Singapore edition was created in collaboration with chef Willin Low and Jigger and Pony bar director Aki Eguchi, who presumably were involved to some degree with selecting the combination of staves used to finish the whiskey and capture a little bit of Singapore in a bottle.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 16 Feb. 2024
Bolus likes to use barrel staves, or sections of wood from bourbon barrels, to place in the bottom of the smoker.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 5 Feb. 2024
Create a notebook and you'll be offered a few different patterns aside from a standard blank page—wide and college-ruled, graph paper, a few different kinds of day planners, and even musical staves.
—Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 16 Jan. 2023
The blend is finished with French oak staves for three to six months, a step that is similar to the process used by distilleries like Maker’s Mark that use staves to finish its Maker’s 46 expression.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 22 Dec. 2023
Catherine Muccigrosso, Charlotte Observer, 21 May 2024
As the Rockets continue surging, the Warriors’ four-game winning streak is staving them off as Houston is two games behind Golden State for the 10th and final play-in spot.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 31 Mar. 2024
Any time Golden State threatened to make a run, the Knicks staved them off.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 19 Mar. 2024
The coach with robust English Premier League experience just spent the last part of the Premier League season in Leicester City, stepping in as interim head coach for the team’s final eight games, trying to stave the team off relegation.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 22 Feb. 2024
The trees provide nectar and shelter for native ants, and to return the favor, these ants protect them from animals looking to take a bite to eat; whenever herbivores try to eat from the tree, the ants start biting and emitting formic acid to stave them off.
—Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 25 Jan. 2024
New social practices, including moderation and thread-locking, arose to stave them off.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 18 Jan. 2024
So restaurants stave them off with bread and salads until their orders are ready.
—Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 30 Oct. 2023
There are precious few legislative days left for both chambers this month, and none of the appropriations bills that need to be signed into law to stave out a shutdown have passed both chambers (in fact, just one, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, has passed the House).
—Rebecca Kaplan, NBC News, 13 Sep. 2023
Noun
Maker’s Mark Cask Strength The past few years have seen some notable additions to the Maker’s Mark lineup, including various wood stave finishes and the phenomenal Cellar Aged, which is the oldest bourbon to date released by the distillery.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 15 May 2024
Throughout history, walking sticks, staves and canes were also used as tools for self-defense, storytelling and as status symbols.
—Tiney Ricciardi, The Denver Post, 8 Apr. 2024
Depending upon humidity, the stave will have dried enough for final shaping in two to three weeks.
—Keith McCafferty, Field & Stream, 29 June 2023
And over the past few years, different releases in its Wood Finishing Series have come out, each finished with a variety of oak staves that are cooked to different levels to impart unique flavors into the whiskey.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 16 Feb. 2024
The Singapore edition was created in collaboration with chef Willin Low and Jigger and Pony bar director Aki Eguchi, who presumably were involved to some degree with selecting the combination of staves used to finish the whiskey and capture a little bit of Singapore in a bottle.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 16 Feb. 2024
Bolus likes to use barrel staves, or sections of wood from bourbon barrels, to place in the bottom of the smoker.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 5 Feb. 2024
Create a notebook and you'll be offered a few different patterns aside from a standard blank page—wide and college-ruled, graph paper, a few different kinds of day planners, and even musical staves.
—Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 16 Jan. 2023
The blend is finished with French oak staves for three to six months, a step that is similar to the process used by distilleries like Maker’s Mark that use staves to finish its Maker’s 46 expression.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 22 Dec. 2023
Verb
There will be several eight-foot, double-decker iron chandeliers with hop design above the lounge area, plus barrel stave double-tiered iron and copper bottomed installed upstairs.
—Catherine Muccigrosso, Charlotte Observer, 21 May 2024
As the Rockets continue surging, the Warriors’ four-game winning streak is staving them off as Houston is two games behind Golden State for the 10th and final play-in spot.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 31 Mar. 2024
Any time Golden State threatened to make a run, the Knicks staved them off.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 19 Mar. 2024
The coach with robust English Premier League experience just spent the last part of the Premier League season in Leicester City, stepping in as interim head coach for the team’s final eight games, trying to stave the team off relegation.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 22 Feb. 2024
The trees provide nectar and shelter for native ants, and to return the favor, these ants protect them from animals looking to take a bite to eat; whenever herbivores try to eat from the tree, the ants start biting and emitting formic acid to stave them off.
—Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 25 Jan. 2024
New social practices, including moderation and thread-locking, arose to stave them off.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 18 Jan. 2024
So restaurants stave them off with bread and salads until their orders are ready.
—Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 30 Oct. 2023
There are precious few legislative days left for both chambers this month, and none of the appropriations bills that need to be signed into law to stave out a shutdown have passed both chambers (in fact, just one, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, has passed the House).
—Rebecca Kaplan, NBC News, 13 Sep. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stave.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near stave
Cite this Entry
“Stave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stave. Accessed 3 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
stave
1 of 2 noun1
: a wooden stick
2
: one of the narrow strips of wood or iron plates placed edge to edge to form the sides, covering, or lining of a vessel (as a barrel or cask) or structure
3
: stanza
stave
2 of 2 verb
staved or stove
ˈstōv
; staving
; staving
1
: to break in the staves of (a cask)
2
: to smash a hole in
stave in a boat
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