stay

¹

[stey]

verb (used without object)

stayed, staid, staying. 

1. to spend some time in a place, in a situation, with a person or group, etc..

   He stayed in the army for ten years.

2. to continue to be as specified, as to condition or state.

   to stay clean.

3. to hold out or endure, as in a contest or task (followed by with orat ).

   Please stay with the project as long as you can.

4. to keep up, as with a competitor (followed bywith ).

5. Poker.,  to continue in a hand by matching an ante, bet, or raise.

6. to stop or halt.

7. to pause or wait, as for a moment, before proceeding or continuing; linger or tarry.

8. Archaic.,  to cease or desist.

9. Archaic.,  to stand firm.

verb (used with object)

stayed, staid, staying. 

1. to stop or halt.

2. to hold back, detain, or restrain, as from going further.

3. to suspend or delay (actions, proceedings, etc.).

4. to appease or satisfy temporarily the cravings of (the stomach, appetite, etc.).

5. to remain through or during (a period of time).

   We stayed two days in San Francisco.

6. to remain to the end of; remain beyond (usually followed byout ).

7. Archaic.,  to await.

noun

1. the act of stopping or being stopped.

2. a stop, halt, or pause; a standstill.

3. a sojourn or temporary residence.

   a week's stay in Miami.

4. Law.,  a stoppage or arrest of action; suspension of a judicial proceeding.

   The governor granted a stay of execution.

5. Informal.,  staying power; endurance.

stay

²

[stey]

noun

1. something used to support or steady a thing; prop; brace.

2. a flat strip of steel, plastic, etc., used especially for stiffening corsets, collars, etc.

3. a long rod running between opposite walls, heads or sides of a furnace, boiler, tank, or the like, to strengthen them against internal pressures.

4. Chiefly British.,  stays, a corset.

verb (used with object)

stayed, staying 

1. to support, prop, or hold up (sometimes followed byup ).

2. to sustain or strengthen mentally or spiritually.

3. to rest on (something, as a foundation or base) for support.

4. to cause something to become fixed or to rest on (a support, foundation, base, etc.)

stay

³

[stey]

noun

1. any of various strong ropes or wires for steadying masts, funnels, etc.

verb (used with object)

stayed, staying 

1. to support or secure with a stay or stays.

   to stay a mast.

2. to put (a ship) on the other tack.

verb (used without object)

stayed, staying 

1. (of a ship) to change to the other tack.

stay

¹

/ steɪ /

verb

1. (intr) to continue or remain in a certain place, position, etc

   to stay outside

2. (copula) to continue to be; remain

   to stay awake

3. to reside temporarily, esp as a guest

   to stay at a hotel

4. (tr) to remain for a specified period

   to stay the weekend

5. (intr) to reside permanently or habitually; live

6. archaic,  to stop or cause to stop

7. (intr) to wait, pause, or tarry

8. (tr) to delay or hinder

9. (tr)

   1. to discontinue or suspend (a judicial proceeding)

   2. to hold in abeyance or restrain from enforcing (an order, decree, etc)

10. to endure (something testing or difficult, such as a race)

    a horse that stays the course

11. to keep pace (with a competitor in a race, etc)

12. (intr) poker to raise one's stakes enough to stay in a round

13. (tr) to hold back or restrain

    to stay one's anger

14. (tr) to satisfy or appease (an appetite, etc) temporarily

15. archaic,  (tr) to quell or suppress

16. archaic,  (intr) to stand firm

17. See put

noun

1. the act of staying or sojourning in a place or the period during which one stays

2. the act of stopping or restraining or state of being stopped, etc

3. the suspension of a judicial proceeding, etc

   stay of execution

stay

²

/ steɪ /

noun

1. anything that supports or steadies, such as a prop or buttress

2. a thin strip of metal, plastic, bone, etc, used to stiffen corsets, etc

verb

1. (often foll by up) to prop or hold

2. (often foll by up) to comfort or sustain

3. to cause to rely or depend

stay

³

/ steɪ /

noun

1. a rope, cable, or chain, usually one of a set, used for bracing uprights, such as masts, funnels, flagpoles, chimneys, etc; guy See also stays stays

Word History and Origins

Origin of stay¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English staien, from Anglo-French estaier, Old French ester, from Latin stāre “to stand, stand up, be standing, stand in attendance”; stand

Origin of stay²

First recorded in 1505–15; apparently same as stay ³ (compare Old French estayer “to hold in place, support”), or perhaps derivative of Middle English steye “rope to steady a mast”; stay ³

Origin of stay³

First recorded before 1150; Middle English stai, stey(e), Old English stæg; cognate with German Stag, Dutch stag, Old Norse stag

Word History and Origins

Origin of stay¹

C15 staien , from Anglo-French estaier , to stay, from Old French ester to stay, from Latin stāre to stand

Origin of stay²

C16: from Old French estaye , of Germanic origin; compare _stay ³

Origin of stay³

Old English stæg ; related to Old Norse stag , Middle Low German stach , Norwegian stagle wooden post

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. stay the course, to persevere; endure to completion.

2. in stays, (of a fore-and-aft-rigged vessel) heading into the wind with sails shaking, as in coming about.

More idioms and phrases containing stay

• (stay on one's) right side
• (stay) in touch
• here to stay
• should have stood (stayed) in bed
• stick (stay) with

Example Sentences

"The alliance is stronger than our adversaries, and we will stay with Ukraine up to the day that peace will break out," he added.

Read more on BBC

“Because you can see each other or stay in touch with what people are doing, there’s an expectation to hold on to everyone forever,” Sennott says.

Read more on Salon

Grief requires active participation to stay alive, and to cut it off prematurely is to deny love’s importance to us.

Read more on Salon

If Congress extends the bigger subsidies, governments and unions will get the message: They are here to stay.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

While profit growth has stayed strong, concerns about inflation, tariffs and a potential AI bubble have hung over the economy, and the job market has been stuck in a state of “no-hire, no-fire.”

Read more on MarketWatch

Related Words

• continue 
• delay 
• hang 
• last 
• linger 
• remain 
• reside 
• settle 
• stand 
• stick around 
• stop