verb
-
to stay longer than
-
to stay beyond (a limit)
-
See overstay
Etymology
Origin of outstay
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.
Not so with “Burt,” the movie equivalent of a cherry sour drop on a day when you need something a little tart, a tad sweet and that won’t outstay its welcome.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 12, 2025
"The worst thing you can do with a comedy is to outstay your welcome."
From Salon • Nov. 11, 2024
Scenes almost inevitably outstay their welcomes, as if Heggie and McNally couldn’t resist just one more lush verse; on Tuesday, I often found myself simultaneously gripped and bored.
From New York Times • Sep. 27, 2023
It was never polite for a guest to arrive unannounced or outstay an invitation, but that never justified rudely demanding a departure date.
From Washington Post • Sep. 14, 2022
I’ve got two weeks here—I need to make absolutely sure I don’t outstay my welcome.
From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman
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.
