Stave off (5)
I believe the answer is:
avert
<span class="explanation-format__ClueExplanation">'<span class="explanation-format__original">stave off</span>' is the definition.<br/ ><span class="explanation-format__explanation">(synonyms)</span><br/ ><br/ >This is the entire clue.<br/ ></span>
(Other definitions for avert that I've seen before include "Prevent from happening" , "Ward off (bad event)" , "Prevent from occurring" , "Deflect away" , "Ward off, deflect" .)