stave sth in
mainly UK — phrasal verb with stave /steɪv/ verb (staved or stove)Definition
› 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.Destroying and demolishingDamaging and spoiling
(Definition of stave sth in from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus
© Cambridge University Press)
Browse related topics
You are looking at an entry to do with Destroying and demolishing, but you might be interested in these topics from the Breaking and damaging topic area:
- Damaging and spoiling
- Deteriorating and making worse
- Exploding and erupting
- Fragile and breakable
- Hitting against objects accidentally and colliding
- Hitting and beating
- In bad condition
- Injuring and injuries
- Scratching and rubbing
- Squeezing and grinding
- Tearing and breaking into pieces
- Undamaged, unbroken or in good condition
- Upsetting and destabilizing
Browse the Dictionary
Browse the Thesaurus
SMART Thesaurus
Synonyms and related words:
- annihilate verb
- apocalypse noun
- be sacrificed on the altar of sth idiom
- blast verb (EXPLODE)
- blast/blow sb/sth to kingdom come idiom
- destroyer noun
- drive a coach and horses through sth idiom
- dynamite verb
- extirpate verb
- fall in phrasal verb (ROOF)
- kill sth off phrasal verb
- oblivion noun (NO MEMORY)
- saboteur noun
- sack noun (STEAL)
- sack verb (STEAL)
- scar noun
- self-destruct verb
- smash sth up phrasal verb
- wreck verb
- zap verb (DESTROY)
Topic:
Destroying and demolishing
Our dictionaries
Word of the Day
be under a cloud
to not be trusted or popular because people think you have done something bad
Blog
Read our blog about how the English language behaves.
New Words
Find words and meanings that have just started to be used in English, and let us know what you think of them.
