stave off的用法為何？

Stave off即prevent something undesirable or harmful from affecting you for a period of time，意為「阻止」或「避免」，例如：

I brought the bike to a sudden stop to stave off a child.

我急煞腳踏車，以免把小孩撞倒。
The driver swerved the car to stave off a truck.

司機將汽車急轉彎，以避開一輛卡車。
We tried to stave off post-lunch drowsiness.

我們都設法驅除午飯後的睡意。
（陸谷孫《英漢大辭典》）