staunch

STAWNCH

meaning in plain English

To stop something from flowing, like blood coming out of a cut.

Picture a staunch friend sealing a leaky bucket—he stops the flow just like a bandage stops blood.

for example

She used a towel to staunch the bleeding from the small cut on her hand.

Imagine you’re holding back a river with your hands—staunching is like plugging a leak so nothing escapes. When you staunch a wound, you’re doing the same thing with blood, keeping it from spilling out.