Staved off (7)
I believe the answer is:
averted
'staved off' is the definition.
('avert' can be a synonym of 'stave off')
This is the entire clue.
(Other definitions for averted that I've seen before include "Turned away or warded off" , "Turned aside or deflected" , "Prevented, warded off" , "Turned away (one's eyes)" , "Turned away; prevented" .)