stanch

verb

\ ˈstȯnch

, ˈstänch, ˈstanch\

variants: or staunch \ ˈstȯnch

, ˈstänch \

stanched or staunched; stanching or staunching; stanches or staunches

Definition of stanch

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to check or stop the flowing of stanched her tears also : to stop the flow of blood from (a wound)

2a : to stop or check in its course trying to stanch the crime wave

b : to make watertight : stop up

3 archaic : allay, extinguish

stanch

adjective

\ ˈstȯnch

, ˈstänch, ˈstanch\

less common spelling of staunch entry 2

1 : steadfast in loyalty or principle a staunch friend

2a : watertight, sound

b : strongly built : substantial

Other Words from stanch Staunch and Stanch Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about stanch

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Staunch and Stanch

Both stanch and staunch come from the Anglo-French estancher, meaning “to check or stop the flowing of.” Both have been in use for many hundreds of years. And most dictionaries will list them as having the exact same meaning. They are, in fact, variants of each other. But there's a catch: staunch is more commonly used as an adjective (it has several meanings in this role, including “steadfast in loyalty or principle” and "substantial"), and stanch is more commonly used as a verb (common meanings are "to check or stop the flowing of" and "to stop or check in its course"). Here are example of each in typical use:

a staunch supporter/advocate

staunch resistance/allegiance

to stanch the flow/bleeding

stanching the loss of jobs/revenue

Note that saying that something is more commonly used in some way does not necessarily mean that people who choose to use it in the less common way are wrong. There is a considerable body of evidence, from reputable sources, of staunch and stanch being used in their less common roles.

Some people will tell you that you should always keep these words apart, and if you’d like to do this you may find the following sentence of some assistance in helping you to remember the difference: "A staunch friend would help you stanch a bleeding thumb."

Alternatively, you may rely on the time-honored method of people-who-remember-things-poorly and use this limerick:

Tho’ neither stanch nor staunch must conform
To rigid semantical norm
Some editors will blanch,
When encountering stanch
If it’s used in adjective form

Did You Know?

Verb

The verb "stanch" has a lot in common with the adjective staunch, meaning "steadfast." Not only do both words derive from the Anglo-French word estancher (which has the same meaning as "stanch"), but the spelling "s-t-a-n-c-h" is sometimes used for the adjective, and the spelling "s-t-a-u-n-c-h" is sometimes used for the verb. Although both spelling variants have been in reputable use for centuries and both are perfectly standard for either the verb or adjective, "stanch" is the form used most often for the verb and "staunch" is the most common variant for the adjective.

Examples of stanch in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The agreement is one of the boldest steps yet taken by President Trump to stanch the flow of migrants to the U.S. border. — Washington Post, "Guatemala's migrant pact with the U.S. threatens to unleash a political crisis," 27 July 2019 If voters approve the measure, specific limits would still be needed to stanch the flow of money. — Rob Davis | The Oregonian/oregonlive, oregonlive.com, "Oregon’s corporate-dominated campaign finance system gets Congress’ attention," 17 July 2019 Iraq is on fire, and Aram Ismail has no idea how to stanch the flames. — Peter Schwartzstein, National Geographic, "Iraq races to save last of Middle East's forests from burning," 22 July 2019 Democrats have struggled to obtain testimony from key witnesses in the Russia investigation, most notably Donald McGahn, the former White House counsel who could provide firsthand accounts of how the president tried to stanch the probe. — Chris Megerian, latimes.com, "House Intelligence Committee subpoenas Michael Flynn and Richard Gates," 13 June 2019 The changes occurred on the watch of Nancy Dubuc, former head of the A&E cable network, who joined Vice Media as CEO in 2018 and has been charged with the task of stanching the flow of red ink at the company. — BostonGlobe.com, "Target beefs up parental leave," 11 June 2019 Giving the commission more leeway to stanch the flow of new licenses is a practical move on the state’s part, Livingston said. — Suhauna Hussain, latimes.com, "Oregon has too much cannabis. Two laws may help the state manage its surplus," 24 June 2019 The goal for the Catholic bishops in Baltimore, is, simply stated, is to stanch the bleeding. — Daniel Burke, CNN, "Why the nation's two largest religious groups are talking about sex abuse this week," 10 June 2019 Eric Stark hit the emergency alert button, clasped his right hand to his chest to stanch the bleeding, and with his left hand steered his 40-foot bus blindly in reverse. — David Gutman, The Seattle Times, "‘I’ve been shot, I’ve been shot, I’ve been shot’: How a wounded Metro bus driver steered his passengers to safety," 31 Mar. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stanch.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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More Definitions for stanch

stanch

verb

English Language Learners Definition of stanch

: to stop something (especially blood) from flowing

See the full definition for stanch in the English Language Learners Dictionary

stanch

transitive verb

variants: also staunch \ ˈstȯnch, ˈstänch

Medical Definition of stanch

: to check or stop the flowing of stanch bleeding also : to stop the flow of blood from stanch a wound

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stanch

Definition of stanch

less common spelling of staunch entry 2

Other Words from stanch

Staunch and Stanch

Did You Know?

Examples of stanch in a Sentence

First Known Use of stanch

History and Etymology for stanch

English Language Learners Definition of stanch

Medical Definition of stanch

stanch

Definition of stanch

less common spelling of staunch entry 2

Other Words from stanch

Staunch and Stanch

Did You Know?

Examples of stanch in a Sentence

First Known Use of stanch

History and Etymology for stanch

English Language Learners Definition of stanch

Medical Definition of stanch

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