outstay

verb

out·​stay ˌau̇t-ˈstā How to pronounce outstay (audio)
outstayed; outstaying; outstays

transitive verb

1
: overstay
outstayed their welcome
2
: to surpass in staying power
outstayed his competitors

Examples of outstay in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
There are infinite ways for SNL to be unbearable: a sketch outstays its welcome, the rookie featured player keeps flubbing his lines, the writers forgo jokes altogether and instead force us to listen to a bizarre piano ballad in an attempt to say something earnest about politics. Rebecca Jennings, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018 Defying gravity Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have long outstayed a planned eight days in low-Earth orbit after traveling to the International Space Station aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft in June. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 10 Aug. 2024 The other thing that has really outstayed its welcome is Reynolds’s teasing gay banter. Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 23 July 2024 Following a 2019 detention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for allegedly outstaying his visa, the rapper is now able to travel internationally as a newly permanent citizen of the United States. Evan Minsker, Pitchfork, 9 Oct. 2023 Available in theaters and on myriad streaming platforms, the international assembly may be a hit-and-miss affair, but never outstays its welcome. Peter Debruge, Variety, 3 Mar. 2023 So what to do with this holiday guest that has outstayed its welcome? Nicole Clausing, Sunset Magazine, 19 Jan. 2023 But unless the show can pull off an extreme pivot, it’s already outstayed its welcome. Lauren Puckett-Pope, ELLE, 25 Feb. 2023 At least for me, both the slow movement and the finale outstayed their welcome. Dallas News, 24 Feb. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1616, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of outstay was circa 1616

Dictionary Entries Near outstay

Cite this Entry

“Outstay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/outstay. Accessed 9 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

outstay

verb
out·​stay (ˈ)au̇t-ˈstā How to pronounce outstay (audio)
1
: to stay beyond or longer than
outstayed their welcome
2
: to be able to hold out longer than

More from Merriam-Webster on outstay

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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