Vocabulary
Stave
English and Urdu gloss, synonyms and antonyms, and example usage from our editorial sentence cache where available.
English meaning
break something by forcing it inwards or piercing it roughly.
Urdu meaning
توڑنا، لکڑی کے پتلے ٹکڑے
Example sentences (from Dawn)
Sentences are selected from stored editorial text where your search word appears. If none appear yet, run the admin sentence generator for fuller coverage.
- When the prices went through the roof in 1990, and the USSR had all but disappeared, the country pawned gold reserves to stave off defaulting.
- Setting a clear timeline for elections and guaranteeing the participation of all political actors will not only bolster the legitimacy of the next government but also help stave off the danger of a military intervention.
- But whether this will prove enough to stave off the opposition`s criticism as the elections in Bihar approach remains to be seen.
- Indeed, the previous short-term facility of $3bn and the ongoing 37-month funding programme have helped Pakistan stave off the threat of default and stabilise the economy.
- His primary motivation at the moment is to stay in power, not least to stave off legal challenges to his record of corruption which barely intrudes into his moral turpitude as a politician.
Synonyms
break in, smash in, put a hole in, push in, kick in, cave in, splinter, shiver,
Antonyms
attract, court, draw, invoke, provoke
Curator example
“the door was staved in”
More vocabulary to explore
About this vocabulary section.
These entries support close reading of Dawn editorials and opinion pieces: short definitions,
Urdu equivalents where we have them, word relations, and—when generated—real lines from the editorial archive
so you can see tone and usage.
Common questions
- Do I need to sign up to use this vocabulary page?
- No. Word pages are open to everyone. You can read meanings in English and Urdu, synonyms and antonyms, and example sentences without creating an account.
- Where do the example sentences come from?
- When available, example sentences are drawn from cached matches in our Dawn editorial corpus so you can see how a word is used in real newsroom-style prose.
- How is this different from a dictionary?
- This section is curated for students preparing for competitive exams and editorial reading. Entries are compact, often include Urdu glosses, and are paired with in-context lines from editorials when we have them.
