outstay

[ out-stey ]
See synonyms for: outstayoutstayedoutstayingoutstays on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. to stay longer than.

  2. to stay beyond the time or duration of; overstay: to outstay one's welcome.

Origin of outstay

1
First recorded in 1590–1600; out- + stay1

Words Nearby outstay

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use outstay in a sentence

  • Theobald could not find an excuse to outstay his colleague, since they were both guests at the same house.

  • Even funerals and lovers must bow to meal-times, and Jack Meredith was not the man to outstay his welcome.

    With Edged Tools | Henry Seton Merriman
  • He meant to outstay the rest, for he wished to speak with Wetmore alone, and it seemed as though those people would never go.

    The Coast of Bohemia | William Dean Howells
  • I was anxious not to outstay his strength, and I kept my eye on the clock in frequent glances.

    Literary Friends And Acquaintances | William Dean Howells
  • Mommo could easily be made a little sleepier than usual, after being tempted to outstay the others.

    Whosoever Shall Offend | F. Marion Crawford

British Dictionary definitions for outstay

outstay

/ (ˌaʊtˈsteɪ) /


verb(tr)
  1. to stay longer than

  2. to stay beyond (a limit)

  1. outstay one's welcome See overstay (def. 4)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012