stay

1 of 6

noun (1)

ˈstā 

1

: a large strong rope usually of wire used to support a mast

2

: guy entry 2

stay

2 of 6

verb (1)

stayed; staying; stays

transitive verb

1

: to secure upright with or as if with stays

2

: to incline (a mast) forward, aft, or to one side by the stays

intransitive verb

: to go about : tack

stay

3 of 6

verb (2)

stayed ˈstād  also staid ˈstād  ; staying

intransitive verb

1

: to stop going forward : pause

2

: to stop doing something : cease

3

: to continue in a place or condition : remain

stayed up all night

went for a short vacation but stayed on for weeks

stay put till I come back

4

: to stand firm

5

: to take up residence : lodge

6

: to keep even in a contest or rivalry

stay with the leaders

7

: to call a poker bet without raising

8

obsolete : to be in waiting or attendance

transitive verb

1

: to wait for : await

2

: to stick or remain with (a race, a trial of endurance, etc.) to the end

—usually used in the phrase stay the course

3

: to remain during

stayed the whole time

4

a

: to stop or delay the proceeding or advance of by or as if by interposing an obstacle : halt

b

: to check the course of (something, such as a disease)

c

: allay, pacify

stayed tempers

d

: to quiet the hunger of temporarily

stay

4 of 6

noun (2)

1

a

: the action of halting : the state of being stopped

b

: a stopping or suspension of procedure or execution by judicial or executive order

2

obsolete : self-control, moderation

3

: a residence or sojourn in a place

4

: capacity for endurance

stay

5 of 6

noun (3)

1

: one that serves as a prop : support

2

: a thin firm strip (as of plastic) used for stiffening a garment or part (such as a shirt collar)

3

: a corset stiffened with bones

—usually used in plural

stay

6 of 6

verb (3)

stayed; staying; stays

transitive verb

1

: to provide physical or moral support for : sustain

2

: to fix on something as a foundation

Synonyms

Verb (2)

• abide
• dwell
• hang around
• remain
• stick around
• tarry

Noun (2)

• sojourn
• tarry
• visit

Noun (3)

• brace
• buttress
• mount
• mounting
• prop
• reinforcement
• shore
• spur
• support
• underpinning

Verb (3)

• bear
• bolster
• brace
• buttress
• carry
• prop (up)
• shore (up)
• support
• sustain
• undergird
• underpin
• uphold

Choose the Right Synonym for stay

defer, postpone, suspend, stay mean to delay an action or proceeding.

defer implies a deliberate putting off to a later time.

deferred buying a car until spring

postpone implies an intentional deferring usually to a definite time.

the game is postponed until Saturday

suspend implies temporary stoppage with an added suggestion of waiting until some condition is satisfied.

business will be suspended while repairs are underway

stay often suggests the stopping or checking by an intervening agency or authority.

the governor stayed the execution

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In an emergency motion seeking a stay of the temporary restraining order, US immigration officials warned that without measures to conditionally release some migrants, there could be over 45,000 migrants in custody by the end of the month. —Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN, 13 May 2023

The shelter made a TikTok video of Waylon, 390 days into his stay, that went viral in May 2022. —The Indianapolis Star, 11 May 2023

Instead of a hospital stay, he was given a cellphone with medical staff on speed dial. —Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2023

To learn more about Adare Manor or to book your stay, head over to adaremanor.com. —Vanessa Wilkins, Travel + Leisure, 4 May 2023

Enter Email Sign Up MICHELLE SPREKELMEYER, Costa Mesa, Calif. A. Hotels.com should have refunded your stay three years ago. —Christopher Elliott, BostonGlobe.com, 4 May 2023

The conference leaders also canceled an in-person training, emailed all officers with current CDC guidance, and offered to extend the hotel stays of sick attendees who needed to isolate, according to the Post. —Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 3 May 2023

That’s more than enough to cover a stay at the Telegraph. —Scott Mcmurren, Anchorage Daily News, 29 Apr. 2023

Last week, in response to an emergency motion by the FDA, the U.S. Supreme Court granted a temporary administrative stay of the trial judge’s ruling. —Ellen J. Mackenzie And Joanne Rosen, STAT, 20 Apr. 2023

Verb

One of the easiest and most essential places to get (and stay) tidy is your refrigerator. —Jessica Cherner, House Beautiful, 28 Apr. 2023

Kyle Kirkwood didn't stay up front all day after his first IndyCar start from pole, but the Andretti Autosport driver finished there. —Nathan Brown, The Indianapolis Star, 16 Apr. 2023

The project was released posthumously and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart on Aug. 4, 1995, and stayed on the list for 49 weeks. —Alexandra Schonfeld, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2023

So, please stay with us. —CBS News, 16 Apr. 2023

There have been privately run Ramadan late-night festivals previously that are continuing this year, and many restaurants in Dearborn have stayed open late for years during the holy month. —Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 15 Apr. 2023

Without Steven Adams, without Brandon Clarke — both guys kind of gave Davis trouble in different ways — how much can Jaren Jackson be on him and stay on him and be out of foul trouble? —Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2023

Younger Haitian men stay behind to help others cross, forming a human chain. —Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, 15 Apr. 2023

To combat this, stay hydrated. —Jessica Migala, Women's Health, 15 Apr. 2023

See More

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English stæg; akin to Old Norse stag stay

Verb (2)

Middle English, from Anglo-French estei-, estai-, stem of ester to stand, stay, from Latin stare — more at stand

Noun (3)

Middle English, from Middle French estaie, of Germanic origin; akin to Middle Dutch stake pole, Middle Low German stak post, stake pole — more at stake

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

1627, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Verb (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun (2)

1536, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (3)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (3)

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing stay

• be/stay holed up
• get/stay/keep out of someone's/the way
• are/keep/stay one jump ahead
• keep/stay on her boss's good side
• here to stay
• spend/stay the night
• keep/stay out of trouble
• keep/stay cool
• stay/keep ahead of the field
• keep/stay mum
• stay away
• stay/keep in practice
• stay-at-home
• stay friends
• stay behind
• stay on
• stay in
• stay off
• stay out of (something)
• stay out
• stay over
• stay the course
• stay put
• stay tuned
• stay up
• stay the night
• stay woke
• keep/stay apace with
• stay of execution
• stay with
• short-stay
• stay home

See More

• be/stay holed up
• get/stay/keep out of someone's/the way
• are/keep/stay one jump ahead
• keep/stay on her boss's good side
• here to stay
• spend/stay the night
• keep/stay out of trouble
• keep/stay cool
• stay/keep ahead of the field
• keep/stay mum
• stay away
• stay/keep in practice
• stay-at-home
• stay friends
• stay behind
• stay on
• stay in
• stay off
• stay out of (something)
• stay out
• stay over
• stay the course
• stay put
• stay tuned
• stay up
• stay the night
• stay woke
• keep/stay apace with
• stay of execution
• stay with
• short-stay
• stay home

See More

Kids Definition

stay

1 of 6 noun

ˈstā 

: a strong rope or wire used to steady or brace something (as a mast)

stay

2 of 6 verb

: to fasten (as a smokestack) with stays

stay

3 of 6 verb

1

: to stop going forward : pause

2

: to continue in a place or condition : remain

stayed at home

3

: to stand firm

4

: to take up residence : lodge

stayed in a hotel

5

: wait entry 1 sense 1a

6

: to last out (as a race)

7

: check entry 2 sense 2, halt

stay an execution

stay

4 of 6 noun

1

: the action of halting : the state of being stopped

2

: a stopping of a procedure by court or executive order

3

: a residence or visit in a place

stay

5 of 6 noun

1

: something that serves as a prop : support

2

: a thin firm strip (as of plastic) used for stiffening a garment (as a corset) or part (as a shirt collar)

stay

6 of 6 verb

: to provide support for

Etymology

Noun

Old English stæg "a strong rope used to steady or support something"

Verb

Middle English stayen "to stop going forward," from early French ester "to stand, stay," from Latin stare "to stand"

Noun

from early French estaie "a support, prop"; of Germanic origin

Legal Definition

stay

1 of 2 transitive verb

stayed; staying

: to temporarily suspend or prevent by judicial or executive order

may not grant an injunction to stay proceedings in a State court

—U.S. Code

stay

2 of 2 noun

: a temporary suspension or injunction of an action or process by a usually discretionary judicial or executive order

a stay of execution of the judgment

stay of a lower court's judgment pending certiorari

—W. J. Brennan, Jr.

see also automatic stay compare cease-and-desist order at order sense 3b, mandamus, supersedeas