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stay1

Syllabification: (stay)
Pronunciation: /stā/
Translate stay | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of stay

verb

  • 1 [no object] remain in the same place:you stay here and I’ll be back soon Jenny decided to stay at home with their young child he stayed with the firm as a consultant
  • (stay for/to) delay leaving so as to join in (an activity):why not stay for lunch?
  • (stay down) (of food) remain in the stomach, rather than be thrown up as vomit.
  • 2 [no object] remain in a specified state or position:her ability to stay calm tactics used to stay in power I managed to stay out of trouble
  • 3 [no object] (of a person) live somewhere temporarily as a visitor or guest:the girls had gone to stay with friends Minton invited him to stay the night
  • Scottish & South African live permanently:where do you stay?
  • 4 [with object] stop, delay, or prevent (something), in particular suspend or postpone (judicial proceedings) or refrain from pressing (charges).
  • assuage (hunger) for a short time:I grabbed something to stay the pangs of hunger
  • literary curb; check:he tries to stay the destructive course of barbarism
  • [no object] archaic wait a moment in order to allow someone time to think or speak:stay, stand apart, I know not which is which
  • 5 [with object] literary support or prop up.

noun

  • 1a period of staying somewhere, in particular of living somewhere temporarily as a visitor or guest:an overnight stay at a luxury hotel
  • 2 literary a curb or check:there is likely to be a good public library as a stay against boredom
  • Law a suspension or postponement of judicial proceedings:a stay of prosecution
  • 3a device used as a brace or support.
  • (stays) historical a corset made of two pieces laced together and stiffened by strips of whalebone.
  • 4 archaic power of endurance.

Phrases

be here (or have come) to stay

informal be permanent or widely accepted:the Internet is here to stay

stay the course (or distance)

keep going strongly to the end of a race or contest.
pursue a difficult task or activity to the end.

a stay of execution

a delay in carrying out a court order.

stay put

(of a person or object) remain somewhere without moving or being moved.

Phrasal Verbs

stay on

continue to study, work, or be somewhere after others have left:75 percent of sixteen-year-olds stay on in full-time education

stay over

(of a guest or visitor) sleep somewhere, especially at someone’s home, for the night.

stay up

not go to bed:they stayed up all night

stay with

  • 1remain in the mind or memory of (someone):Gary’s words stayed with her all evening
  • 2continue or persevere with (an activity or task):the incentive needed to stay with a healthy diet
  • 3(of a competitor or player) keep up with (another) during a race or match.

Origin:

late Middle English (as a verb): from Anglo-Norman French estai-, stem of Old French ester, from Latin stare 'to stand'; in the sense 'support' (stay1 (sense 5 of the verb) and stay1 (sense 3 of the noun)), partly from Old French estaye (noun), estayer (verb), of Germanic origin

stay in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of stay in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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enjambement

/ ɪnˈdʒam(b)m(ə)nt /
noun
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