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stay
1[ stey ]
verb (used without object)
- to spend some time in a place, in a situation, with a person or group, etc.:
He stayed in the army for ten years.
- to continue to be as specified, as to condition or state:
to stay clean.
- to hold out or endure, as in a contest or task (followed by with or at ):
Please stay with the project as long as you can.
- to keep up, as with a competitor (followed by with ).
- Poker. to continue in a hand by matching an ante, bet, or raise.
- to stop or halt.
- to pause or wait, as for a moment, before proceeding or continuing; linger or tarry.
- Archaic. to cease or desist.
- Archaic. to stand firm.
verb (used with object)
- to stop or halt.
- to hold back, detain, or restrain, as from going further.
- to suspend or delay (actions, proceedings, etc.).
- to appease or satisfy temporarily the cravings of (the stomach, appetite, etc.).
- to remain through or during (a period of time):
We stayed two days in San Francisco.
- to remain to the end of; remain beyond (usually followed by out ).
- Archaic. to await.
noun
- the act of stopping or being stopped.
- a stop, halt, or pause; a standstill.
- a sojourn or temporary residence:
a week's stay in Miami.
- Law. a stoppage or arrest of action; suspension of a judicial proceeding:
The governor granted a stay of execution.
- Informal. staying power; endurance.
stay
2[ stey ]
noun
- a flat strip of steel, plastic, etc., used especially for stiffening corsets, collars, etc.
- a long rod running between opposite walls, heads or sides of a furnace, boiler, tank, or the like, to strengthen them against internal pressures.
- stays, Chiefly British. a corset.
verb (used with object)
- to support, prop, or hold up (sometimes followed by up ).
- to sustain or strengthen mentally or spiritually.
- to rest on (something, as a foundation or base) for support.
- to cause something to become fixed or to rest on (a support, foundation, base, etc.)
stay
3[ stey ]
noun
- any of various strong ropes or wires for steadying masts, funnels, etc.
verb (used with object)
- to support or secure with a stay or stays:
to stay a mast.
- to put (a ship) on the other tack.
verb (used without object)
- (of a ship) to change to the other tack.
stay
1/ steɪ /
verb
- intr to continue or remain in a certain place, position, etc
to stay outside
- copula to continue to be; remain
to stay awake
- introften foll byat to reside temporarily, esp as a guest
to stay at a hotel
- tr to remain for a specified period
to stay the weekend
- intr to reside permanently or habitually; live
- archaic.to stop or cause to stop
- intr to wait, pause, or tarry
- tr to delay or hinder
- tr
- to discontinue or suspend (a judicial proceeding)
- to hold in abeyance or restrain from enforcing (an order, decree, etc)
- to endure (something testing or difficult, such as a race)
a horse that stays the course
- intr; usually foll bywith to keep pace (with a competitor in a race, etc)
- intr poker to raise one's stakes enough to stay in a round
- tr to hold back or restrain
to stay one's anger
- tr to satisfy or appease (an appetite, etc) temporarily
- archaic.tr to quell or suppress
- archaic.intr to stand firm
- See putstay putstay put See put
noun
- the act of staying or sojourning in a place or the period during which one stays
- the act of stopping or restraining or state of being stopped, etc
- the suspension of a judicial proceeding, etc
stay of execution
stay
2/ steɪ /
noun
- anything that supports or steadies, such as a prop or buttress
- a thin strip of metal, plastic, bone, etc, used to stiffen corsets, etc
verb
- often foll by up to prop or hold
- often foll by up to comfort or sustain
- foll byon or upon to cause to rely or depend
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Word History and Origins
Origin of stay1
Origin of stay2
Origin of stay3
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Word History and Origins
Origin of stay1
Origin of stay2
Origin of stay3
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Idioms and Phrases
- in stays, (of a fore-and-aft-rigged vessel) heading into the wind with sails shaking, as in coming about.
- stay the course, to persevere; endure to completion.
More idioms and phrases containing stay
- here to stay
- (stay) in touch
- (stay on one's) right side
- should have stood (stayed) in bed
- stick (stay) with
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Example Sentences
The reports illustrate relative change, not absolute visitors or duration of stay.
The package includes up to five nights of accommodation at one of MGM’s Las Vegas-based properties and comes with an “office-ready” room and an executive assistant tasked with ensuring you have “everything you need during your stay.”
Lisa Russell said her 93-year-old mother regressed physically and mentally during a nearly month-long stay in early 2020 at The Springs at Pacific Regent, located in La Jolla.
San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer waded into the fray this week, by signing onto a letter along with San Jose’s mayor, urging the court to grant the stay.
“A stay could provide an opportunity for parties to come together with state leaders to negotiate a resolution to this complex issue,” Faulconer and Liccardo wrote.
Models in Israel will have to maintain a BMI of 18.5 or higher if they want to stay employed.
Ney said McDonnell needs to “keep a stiff lip” and stay in close contact with family members.
“He has to really stay on the down low, he has to make sure that he blends in,” Ney told the Beast.
Their leader, Njie, still going by “Dave” during the operation, would stay a safe distance away until the State House was secure.
Higher courts, including the Supreme Court had refused to intercede, and the stay was to expire tonight.
He decided not to return home directly; he wanted to go somewhere, but did not care to stay in Chicago.
This tiny person spent little or none of his time in the tree-tops, but chose to stay near the ground.
If we find him there as Rutter said, you can gamble that trouble has camped in our dooryard for a lengthy stay.
Now that Lawrence was out of the army, he was in hopes that he would stay out, and he showed his disappointment in his face.
He gets out and does things while these fatheads stay in quarters and untangle red tape.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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