stay

[ stey ]

/ steɪ /

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.

QUIZZES

CHALLENGE YOURSELF WITH THESE WORDS FROM "LITTLE WOMEN"

"Little Women" may be a classic, but that doesn't mean we all know the meanings of the vocab words from the book. Can you define these words correctly and make Jo proud?

Question 1 of 10

earnest

full seriousness, as of intention or purpose.

a feeling of dread, anxiety, or anguish.

urgent character; imperativeness; insistence; importunateness.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms for stay

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

Words nearby stay

stave off, staves, stavesacre, stavropol, staw, stay, stay out, stay over, stay put, stay stitching, stay the course

Definition for staying (2 of 3)

stay²

[ stey ]

/ steɪ /

noun

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

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

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

stays, Chiefly British. a corset.

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

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

to sustain or strengthen mentally or spiritually.

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

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

Origin of stay

1505–15; apparently same as stay³ (compare Old French estayer to hold in place, support, perhaps derivative of Middle English steye stay³)

Definition for staying (3 of 3)

stay³

[ stey ]

/ steɪ /

Chiefly Nautical

noun

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

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

to support or secure with a stay or stays: to stay a mast.

to put (a ship) on the other tack.

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

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

Origin of stay

before 1150; Middle English stey(e), Old English stæg; cognate with German Stag

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for staying

And that gets to the heart of what makes the game so incredible: By staying silent, it turns the player into the game master.
Lost For Thousands of Strokes: 'Desert Golfing' Is 'Angry Birds' as Modern Art|Alec Kubas-Meyer|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It seems that the deputies asked him to leave, but Saylor insisted on staying, and perhaps physically resisted them.
How the U.S. Justice System Screws Prisoners with Disabilities|Elizabeth Picciuto|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Some pro-life groups worry that they discourage women from staying pregnant altogether.
States Slap Pregnant Women With Harsher Jail Sentences|Emily Shire|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Every possible outcome—them together, them staying with their existing partners—seems only likely to bring misery.
How Will They End ‘The Affair’? Showtime’s Adultery Drama Defies Predictability|Tim Teeman|December 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST

He orders a toasted bagel and asks to charge it to a room he is certainly not staying in.
I Watched a Casino Kill Itself: The Awful Last Nights of Atlantic City’s Taj Mahal|Olivia Nuzzi|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Her sole evidence of being alive was her habit of staying in church until the doors were closed and she could stay no longer.
The Torrent|Vicente Blasco Ibaez
Her mother had come over to Paris for a short time to visit her daughter and was staying at the hotel.
A Fantasy of Far Japan|Baron Kencho Suyematsu
Miss Chn is staying with me, not your daughter-in-law; so you had better mind your own business.
Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio (Volumes I and II)|Songling Pu
"Don't you ever get tired of staying in the water," Sparrow would say, wondering.
Verotchka's Tales|Mamin Siberiak
Something in my appearance convinced her that I was ill, and she insisted on my staying in bed.
Memoirs of a Midget|Walter de la Mare

British Dictionary definitions for staying (1 of 3)

stay¹

/ (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 staying (2 of 3)

stay²

/ (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 staying (3 of 3)

stay³

/ (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

Idioms and Phrases with staying

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

MEANINGS

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WORD OF THE DAY

stay

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

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

noun

QUIZZES

CHALLENGE YOURSELF WITH THESE WORDS FROM "LITTLE WOMEN"

Idioms for stay

Origin of stay

Words nearby stay

Definition for staying (2 of 3)

noun

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

Origin of stay

Definition for staying (3 of 3)

noun

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

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

Origin of stay

Example sentences from the Web for staying

British Dictionary definitions for staying (1 of 3)

verb

noun

Word Origin for stay

British Dictionary definitions for staying (2 of 3)

noun

verb (tr) archaic

Word Origin for stay

British Dictionary definitions for staying (3 of 3)

noun

Word Origin for stay

Idioms and Phrases with staying

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

stay

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

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

noun

QUIZZES

CHALLENGE YOURSELF WITH THESE WORDS FROM "LITTLE WOMEN"

Idioms for stay

Origin of stay

Words nearby stay

Definition for staying (2 of 3)

noun

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

Origin of stay

Definition for staying (3 of 3)

noun

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

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

Origin of stay

Words related to staying

Example sentences from the Web for staying

British Dictionary definitions for staying (1 of 3)

verb

noun

Word Origin for stay

British Dictionary definitions for staying (2 of 3)

noun

verb (tr) archaic

Word Origin for stay

British Dictionary definitions for staying (3 of 3)

noun

Word Origin for stay

Idioms and Phrases with staying