Definition

Verb (transitive and intransitive): 1. To break or crush something inward by force, creating a hole or dent. 2. To break the wooden staves (narrow strips of wood) of a barrel or cask, causing it to collapse inward.

Usage and Examples

This verb describes the action of causing a surface or structure to cave in violently. * The impact of the crash staved in the car's door. * They had to stave in the old barrel to use it for firewood. * The hull of the ship was staved in by the jagged rocks.

Advanced Usage

• Often used in passive voice to describe the state of something that has been crushed inward.
  • The roof was staved in by the fallen tree.
• Can be used figuratively to describe a devastating blow or collapse, though this is less common.
  • The bad news staved in his last hopes. (Figurative)

Variants and Related Words

• Stave (verb): To break or crush something, especially in the phrase "stave off" which means to ward off or delay something undesirable (e.g., ). Note: "Stave off" is a distinct phrasal verb with a different meaning.
• Cave in (verb): A close synonym meaning to collapse inward.
• Bash in (verb): A more informal synonym.
• Stave (noun): One of the narrow strips of wood that form the sides of a barrel.

Synonyms

• Cave in
• Crush in
• Bash in
• Buckle
• Collapse

Phrasal Verbs

• Stave in is itself a phrasal verb. It is not typically broken down further. The verb "stave" alone (meaning to break staves) is rare outside of this phrasal form or the idiom "stave off."

Related Idioms

• Stave off: To delay or prevent something bad from happening.
  • He drank coffee to stave off sleep.
  • (Important: This is a separate, more common idiom with a meaning distinct from "stave in.")

Verb

1. burst or force (a hole) into something
2. break in the staves (of)
   • stave in a cask