stay
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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to spend some time in a place, in a situation, with a person or group, etc..
He stayed in the army for ten years.
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to continue to be as specified, as to condition or state.
to stay clean.
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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.
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to keep up, as with a competitor (followed bywith ).
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Poker. to continue in a hand by matching an ante, bet, or raise.
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to stop or halt.
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to pause or wait, as for a moment, before proceeding or continuing; linger or tarry.
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Archaic. to cease or desist.
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Archaic. to stand firm.
verb (used with object)
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to stop or halt.
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to hold back, detain, or restrain, as from going further.
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to suspend or delay (actions, proceedings, etc.).
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to appease or satisfy temporarily the cravings of (the stomach, appetite, etc.).
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to remain through or during (a period of time).
We stayed two days in San Francisco.
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to remain to the end of; remain beyond (usually followed byout ).
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Archaic. to await.
noun
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the act of stopping or being stopped.
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a stop, halt, or pause; a standstill.
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a sojourn or temporary residence.
a week's stay in Miami.
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Law. a stoppage or arrest of action; suspension of a judicial proceeding.
The governor granted a stay of execution.
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Informal. staying power; endurance.
idioms
noun
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a flat strip of steel, plastic, etc., used especially for stiffening corsets, collars, etc.
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a long rod running between opposite walls, heads or sides of a furnace, boiler, tank, or the like, to strengthen them against internal pressures.
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Chiefly British. stays, a corset.
verb (used with object)
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to support, prop, or hold up (sometimes followed byup ).
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to sustain or strengthen mentally or spiritually.
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to rest on (something, as a foundation or base) for support.
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to cause something to become fixed or to rest on (a support, foundation, base, etc.)
noun
verb (used with object)
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to support or secure with a stay or stays.
to stay a mast.
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to put (a ship) on the other tack.
verb (used without object)
idioms
verb
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(intr) to continue or remain in a certain place, position, etc
to stay outside
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(copula) to continue to be; remain
to stay awake
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to reside temporarily, esp as a guest
to stay at a hotel
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(tr) to remain for a specified period
to stay the weekend
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(intr) to reside permanently or habitually; live
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archaic to stop or cause to stop
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(intr) to wait, pause, or tarry
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(tr) to delay or hinder
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(tr)
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to discontinue or suspend (a judicial proceeding)
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to hold in abeyance or restrain from enforcing (an order, decree, etc)
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to endure (something testing or difficult, such as a race)
a horse that stays the course
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to keep pace (with a competitor in a race, etc)
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(intr) poker to raise one's stakes enough to stay in a round
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(tr) to hold back or restrain
to stay one's anger
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(tr) to satisfy or appease (an appetite, etc) temporarily
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archaic (tr) to quell or suppress
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archaic (intr) to stand firm
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See put
noun
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the act of staying or sojourning in a place or the period during which one stays
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the act of stopping or restraining or state of being stopped, etc
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the suspension of a judicial proceeding, etc
stay of execution
noun
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anything that supports or steadies, such as a prop or buttress
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a thin strip of metal, plastic, bone, etc, used to stiffen corsets, etc
verb
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(often foll by up) to prop or hold
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(often foll by up) to comfort or sustain
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to cause to rely or depend
noun
Etymology
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”; see origin at 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
Explanation
To stay is to remain or wait in the same place. When you tell your dog to stay, you expect her to keep sitting until you call her over. You can stay in the short term, like when you stay in your seat even though you're antsy, or in the long term, like when you decide to stay in Missouri after you graduate from college. You can also stay calm or stay out of trouble. Legally, to stay is to delay or suspend proceedings, like when a judge stays a decision. A less-common meaning of stay is "a support," from the Middle French estaie, "wood used as a support."
Vocabulary lists containing stay
"The Flea" by John Donne
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Academic Vocabulary and Vocabulary from Readings 1, Unit 3
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United States v. Nixon (1974), List 4
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
I thought a feeder would help my ailing sister stay connected to the world.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
It is vital the devices stay hidden, she said, before adding: "We would urge the government to forewarn the public that alerts might be issued, when possible."
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
"Staying active is one of the most important things people can do, and small, consistent exercises can help you stay confident, mobile and independent for longer."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
He’s had so many people helping him and rooting for him during his stay.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
The second time it happened his parents asked if he could stay at the Beje and we agreed.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
But there are potential ripple effects that could spook even staid investors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
But he’ll return, as a ghost, to criticize his son, who, admittedly, has grown staid and stale in his life, his marriage and his work, whatever that’s been.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
Warsh, who comes to the Fed armed with a self-proclaimed reform agenda, is expected to push for shakeups at the relatively staid institution.
From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026
We know this because Charles Dance recites Michelangelo’s snidest journal passages throughout, bringing a welcome pettiness to an otherwise staid chapter of art history.
From Salon ● May 16, 2026
She saw staid family vehicles drawn by dependable-looking teams.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
His father followed the money south in the 1950s and stayed there, but George H.W.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
She stayed with the sketch show for three seasons, departing in 2000.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
When I visited his Menlo Park, Calif., office, I learned he designed it, all the way down to restroom paper towel dispensers, which he stayed up until 2 a.m. some nights perfecting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
Japan's defence minister paid his respects Saturday at a shrine honouring the country's war dead that has long dogged Tokyo's relations with its Asian neighbours, but Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stayed away.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
And Jeff, who stayed where he was in row two but moved his seat only another few inches back, didn’t seem worried about getting punished, either, as Joeyhad warned he might.
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
The findings suggest that the body gradually gives up some movement efficiency in favor of staying stable and upright.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026
Projections now show levels staying just above “minimum power pool” through next March, when the reservoir is expected to be its lowest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Carrick had enough opportunities when he spoke to UK media in Maynooth on Thursday to say so if it was certain Rashford will be staying beyond this month.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
The team is staying until Sunday, and coach Jeff Steinberg said each of his 60 players taken on the trip got into the game.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Maybe he should spend the winter staying put in the Very, Very Far North.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
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.
