stay

[ stey ]

/ steɪ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR stay ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), stayed or staid, stay·ing.

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), stayed or staid, stay·ing.

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.

Nearby words

Idioms

stay the course, to persevere; endure to completion.

Origin of stay

1400–50; late Middle English staien < Anglo-French estaier, Old French estai-, stem of ester < Latin stāre to stand

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for stay the course (1 of 3)

stay

/ (steɪ) /

verb

(intr) to continue or remain in a certain place, position, etcto stay outside

(copula) to continue to be; remainto stay awake

(intr often foll by at) to reside temporarily, esp as a guestto stay at a hotel

(tr) to remain for a specified periodto stay the weekend

(intr) Scot and Southern African 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 by with) 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 restrainto stay one's anger

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

(tr) archaic to quell or suppress

(intr) archaic to stand firm

stay put See put (def. 18)

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, etcstay of execution

Word Origin for stay

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

British Dictionary definitions for stay the course (2 of 3)

stay

/ (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 (tr) archaic

(often foll by up) to prop or hold

(often foll by up) to comfort or sustain

(foll by on or upon) to cause to rely or depend

Word Origin for stay

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

British Dictionary definitions for stay the course (3 of 3)

stay

/ (steɪ) /

noun

a rope, cable, or chain, usually one of a set, used for bracing uprights, such as masts, funnels, flagpoles, chimneys, etc; guySee also stays (def. 2), stays (def. 3)

Word Origin for stay

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

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

Word Origin and History for stay the course (1 of 3)

stay

"to remain," mid-15c., from Middle French estai-, stem of ester "to stay or stand," from Old French, from Latin stare "to stand" (cf. Italian stare, Spanish estar "to stand, to be"), from PIE root *sta- "to stand" (see stet). Originally "come to a halt;" sense of "remain" is first recorded 1570s.

Noun senses of "appliance for stopping," "period of remaining in a place," and (judicial) "suspension of proceeding" all developed 1525-1550. Stay-at-home (adj.) is from 1806. Stay put is first recorded 1843, American English. "To stay put is to keep still, remain in order. A vulgar expression" [Bartlett]. Phrase stay the course is originally (1885) in reference to horses holding out till the end of a race.

Word Origin and History for stay the course (1 of 3)

stay

n.1

"support, prop, brace," 1510s, from Middle French estaie "piece of wood used as a support," perhaps from Frankish *staka "support," from Proto-Germanic *stagaz (cf. Middle Dutch stake "stick," Old English steli "steel" stæg "rope used to support a mast"), from PIE *stak- (see stay (n.2)). If not, then from the root of stay (v.). Stays "laced underbodice" is attested from c.1600.

Word Origin and History for stay the course (2 of 3)

stay

n.2

"strong rope which supports a ship's mast," from Old English stæg, from Proto-Germanic *stagan (cf. Dutch stag, Low German stach, German Stag, Old Norse stag), from PIE *stak-, ultimately an extended form of root *sta- "to stand" (see stet). The verb meaning "secure or steady with stays" is first recorded 1620s.

Idioms and Phrases with stay the course (1 of 2)

stay the course

Hold or persevere to the end, as in No, he's not resigning; he's going to stay the course. This metaphoric expression, alluding to a horse running an entire race, was first recorded in 1916.

Idioms and Phrases with stay the course (2 of 2)

stay

In addition to the idioms beginning with stay

staying power
stay over
stay put
stay the course
stay with

also see:

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

stay

verb (used without object), stayed or staid, stay·ing.

verb (used with object), stayed or staid, stay·ing.

noun

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of stay

British Dictionary definitions for stay the course (1 of 3)

stay

verb

noun

Word Origin for stay

British Dictionary definitions for stay the course (2 of 3)

stay

noun

verb (tr) archaic

Word Origin for stay

British Dictionary definitions for stay the course (3 of 3)

stay

noun

Word Origin for stay

Word Origin and History for stay the course (1 of 3)

stay

Word Origin and History for stay the course (1 of 3)

stay

Word Origin and History for stay the course (2 of 3)

stay

Idioms and Phrases with stay the course (1 of 2)

stay the course

Idioms and Phrases with stay the course (2 of 2)

stay