stay

/steɪ/

noun 12verb 9adj 4adv 1name 1

Collocations

(noun.)

ADJ

lengthy, long, prolonged | brief, overnight, short, temporary | indefinite | 3-week, 3-weeks', week-long, etc. | comfortable, enjoyable, pleasant

hospital

After his surgery, he had a brief hospital stay of just three days.

VERB + STAY

enjoy

We really enjoyed our stay at the beach house last summer.

shorten

extend, prolong

We decided to prolong our stay in Barcelona because we were having such a wonderful time.

PREP

during a/the ~

During his stay in London, he visited all the famous museums.

throughout a/the ~

We enjoyed warm, sunny weather throughout our stay in Greece.

PHRASES

the duration/length of (your) stay

(verb.)

ADV

behind, on

My younger brother had to stay behind after class to finish his homework.

The picture frame kept sliding down the wall, so I had to tape it to make sure it would stay on.

(at) home, indoors

My grandmother preferred to stay indoors during the winter months because of her arthritis.

away | here, there

late

We stayed late after the concert to meet the band members.

overnight

indefinitely

My grandparents decided to stay with us indefinitely after my grandfather's accident last year.

VERB + STAY

can/can't, could/couldn't

She couldn't stay focused during the long meeting this afternoon.

want to | decide to | be going to, intend to

let sb

Her parents wouldn't let her stay out past midnight on school nights.

ask sb to, beg sb to, plead with sb to | persuade sb to

PREP

for

My cousin stayed for the weekend and we had a great time together.

till/until

We stayed till the end of the movie even though it was really long.

with

My grandmother asked if I could stay with her while she recovered from surgery.

Definitions

verb

To remain in a particular place, especially for a definite or short period of time; sojourn; abide.

We stayed in Hawaii for a week. I can only stay for an hour.

She would commaund the hasty Sunne to stay, Or backward turne his course from heuen's hight,

To continue to have a particular quality.

Wear gloves so your hands stay warm.

Promise me you'll always stay/remain my little prince.

To prop; support; sustain; hold up; steady.

Lord Mayor of London. See, where he stands between two clergymen! Duke of Buckingham. Two props of virtue for a Christian prince, To stay him from the fall of vanity:

But Moses hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.

To support from sinking; to sustain with strength; to satisfy in part or for the time.

[…] he has devoured a whole loaf of bread and butter, as fast as Phoebe could cut it, and it has not staid his stomach for a minute […]

To stop or delay something.

Your ships are stay’d at Venice.

1671, John Evelyn, Diary, entry dated 14 November, 1671, in The Diary of John Evelyn, London: Macmillan, 1906, Volume 2, p. 337, This business staid me in London almost a week […]

noun

Continuance or a period of time spent in a place; abode for an indefinite time.

I hope you enjoyed your stay in Hawaii.

A postponement, especially of an execution or other punishment.

The governor granted a stay of execution.

Later that day, however, Judge O'Kelley signed a stay of execution when Mr. Potts authorized other attorneys to renew his appeals.

A stop; a halt; a break or cessation of action, motion, or progress.

stand at a stay

Made of ſphear-metal, never to decay / Untill his revolution was at ſtay.

A fixed state; fixedness; stability; permanence.

A station or fixed anchorage for vessels.

noun

A prop; a support.

My onely strength and stay.

The trees themselves serve, at the same time, as so many stays for their Vines

A piece of stiff material, such as plastic or whalebone, used to stiffen a piece of clothing.

Where are the stays for my collar?

A corset.

Her figure was tall, yet not too tall; comely and well-developed, yet not fat; her head set on her shoulders with an easy, pliant firmness; her waist, perfection in the eyes of a man, for it occupied its natural place, it filled out its natural circle, it was visibly and delightfully undeformed by stays.

When Jenny's stays are newly laced.

A fastening for a garment; a hook; a clasp; anything to hang another thing on.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

noun — the state of inactivity following an interruption

verb — stay the same

verb — stop or halt

verb — overcome or allay

verb — stay put (in a certain place)

stick

verb — hang on during a trial of endurance

outride

verb — dwell

verb — continue in a place, position, or situation

verb — stay behind

Antonyms

Idioms & Phrases

stay put

To remain in one fixed place

I'm not moving there; I'd rather stay put.

stay behind

To remain where one is, whilst others leave.

If a twin goes off on a spaceship for a long trip at nearly the speed of light, that twin would be much younger on return to earth than the twin who stayed behind (Fock, 1964; Fren

stay the course

To persist or continue, especially in the face of difficulties.

If you decide to stay the course and finish engineering school, it will mean long hours and sleepless nights.

the more things change, the more they stay the same

Turbulent changes do not affect reality on a deeper level other than to cement the status quo.

Superficial change is not movement, as is indicated by the saying, “the more things change, the more they stay the same.”

stay tuned

To remain as a listener or viewer of the particular radio station or television channel to which one is currently paying attention.

Alerting Nigeria to stay tuned for an important announcement, the government radio station canceled its regular programs.

Example Bank

We stayed in Hawaii for a week. I can only stay for an hour.

Wiktionary

She would commaund the hasty Sunne to stay, Or backward turne his course from heuen's hight,

Wiktionary

Stay, I command you; stay and hear me first,

Wiktionary

I hope you enjoyed your stay in Hawaii.

Wiktionary

The governor granted a stay of execution.

Wiktionary

Later that day, however, Judge O'Kelley signed a stay of execution when Mr. Potts authorized other attorneys to renew his appeals.

Wiktionary

Usage Notes

i Register

In some senses, stay is marked as archaic, UK. Watch for register when choosing this word.

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