stay behind
idiom
: to not leave at the present time
You can go on ahead. I'll stay behind to help clean up.
Examples of stay behind in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But this time, Pua seems to be joining Moana on the journey after fans questioned the decision to have the pet stay behind in the original film despite appearing prominently on the poster.
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Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY, 13 June 2024
Magnus and Frederic stay behind and fret, while a tip from Jo has Ilya sniffing around for answers in Russia.
—Erin Qualey, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2024
Some members stay behind after the gathering to continue to rehabilitate the land.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2024
And once the threat had been dealt with, U.S. military forces could go back over the horizon and not stay behind to meddle in local politics.
—John Mearsheimer, Foreign Affairs, 13 June 2016
See all Example Sentences for stay behind 
Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY, 13 June 2024
Magnus and Frederic stay behind and fret, while a tip from Jo has Ilya sniffing around for answers in Russia.
—Erin Qualey, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2024
Some members stay behind after the gathering to continue to rehabilitate the land.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2024
And once the threat had been dealt with, U.S. military forces could go back over the horizon and not stay behind to meddle in local politics.
—John Mearsheimer, Foreign Affairs, 13 June 2016
See all Example Sentences for stay behind
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stay behind.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near stay behind
Cite this Entry
“Stay behind.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stay%20behind. Accessed 26 Jul. 2024.
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