Stave, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Staved or Stove p. pr. & vb. n. Staving.]
 1. To break in a stave or the staves of; to break a hole in; to burst; -- often with in; as, to stave a cask; to stave in a boat.
 2. To push, as with a staff; -- with off.
    The condition of a servant staves him off to a distance.   --South.
 3. To delay by force or craft; to drive away; -- usually with off; as, to stave off the execution of a project.
 And answered with such craft as women use,
 Guilty or guiltless, to stave off a chance
 That breaks upon them perilously.   --Tennyson.
 4. To suffer, or cause, to be lost by breaking the cask.
    All the wine in the city has been staved.   --Sandys.
 5. To furnish with staves or rundles.
 6. To render impervious or solid by driving with a calking iron; as, to stave lead, or the joints of pipes into which lead has been run.
 To stave and tail, in bear baiting, (to stave) to interpose with the staff, doubtless to stop the bear; (to tail) to hold back the dog by the tail. --Nares.