stayed; staying; stays
1
: to secure upright with or as if with stays
2
: to incline (a mast) forward, aft, or to one side by the stays
: to go about : tack
stayed; staying; stays
1
: to provide physical or moral support for : sustain
2
: to fix on something as a foundation
Examples of stay in a Sentence
Verb (2)
beams being used to stay the bridge while it is undergoing repairs
Recent Examples on the Web
CBS News, 7 June 2026
First, stay engaged in work that gives the brain a reason to show up.
—Jon Sabes, Fortune, 7 June 2026
Most cited safety concerns as their primary reason for staying home.
—Pat Maio, Daily News, 7 June 2026
Residents were told to stay at home, and schools were briefly locked down following Sunday’s shootings.
—Robert Blankenship, The Washington Examiner, 7 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for stay
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Verb
Residents in the area were instructed to stay at home and children were kept in lockdown at school for at least three hours, according to the regional council head.
—CBS News, 7 June 2026
First, stay engaged in work that gives the brain a reason to show up.
—Jon Sabes, Fortune, 7 June 2026
Most cited safety concerns as their primary reason for staying home.
—Pat Maio, Daily News, 7 June 2026
Residents were told to stay at home, and schools were briefly locked down following Sunday’s shootings.
—Robert Blankenship, The Washington Examiner, 7 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for stay
Cite this Entry
“Stay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stay. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
stay
1 of 6 noun
: 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 verb1
: 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
6
: to last out (as a race)
7
: check entry 2 sense 2, halt
stay an execution
stay
4 of 6 noun1
: 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 noun1
: 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
U.S. Codestay
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
W. J. Brennan, Jr.Love words? Need even more definitions?
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