1
general::
stave sth in
[ M ] mainly UK
to push or hit something such as a door or other surface so that it breaks and falls towards the inside
• A couple of teenagers were trying to stave in our shed door.
• The front of the ship was stove in where it had hit the rock., stave sth/sb off
[ M ]
to stop something bad from happening, or to keep an unwanted situation or person away, usually temporarily
• We were hoping to stave off these difficult decisions until September.
Cambridge-Phrasal Verbs