1
as in to overstay
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
2
as in to outlast
Related Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of outstay
Better to outstay your welcome than give it all up too soon.
—
Phil Hay, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Clocking in at a tidy 73 minutes, Good Boy never outstays its welcome, and the spooky goings-on lead to a climax when a ghostly black figure that has been haunting Indy finally, monstrously, appears to pull Todd to hell.
—Laura Martin, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
Lexx reinvented itself each season, and Season 3 — set on the planets of Fire and Water — didn't outstay its welcome at 13 episodes.
—Chris McMullen, Space.com, 2 Aug. 2025
And at less than two hours with an intermission, the show doesn’t outstay its welcome.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 20 June 2025
The overbearing Dawn, who has outstayed her welcome in what was supposed to be a temporary lockdown solution, is not Joe’s only headache at home.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2025
Social media trends come and go, but one craze that appears to have outstayed its welcome is the desire to mock millennials (people born between 1981 and 1996).
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025
But at two hours, Islands outstays its welcome, allowing much of the tension to leak out of it in a protracted concluding stretch.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Feb. 2025
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, 13 Feb. 2025
Phil Hay, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Clocking in at a tidy 73 minutes, Good Boy never outstays its welcome, and the spooky goings-on lead to a climax when a ghostly black figure that has been haunting Indy finally, monstrously, appears to pull Todd to hell.
—Laura Martin, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2025
Lexx reinvented itself each season, and Season 3 — set on the planets of Fire and Water — didn't outstay its welcome at 13 episodes.
—Chris McMullen, Space.com, 2 Aug. 2025
And at less than two hours with an intermission, the show doesn’t outstay its welcome.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 20 June 2025
The overbearing Dawn, who has outstayed her welcome in what was supposed to be a temporary lockdown solution, is not Joe’s only headache at home.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 May 2025
Social media trends come and go, but one craze that appears to have outstayed its welcome is the desire to mock millennials (people born between 1981 and 1996).
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025
But at two hours, Islands outstays its welcome, allowing much of the tension to leak out of it in a protracted concluding stretch.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Feb. 2025
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, 13 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for outstay
Verb
-
But the story takes care not to overstay its welcome.—
Alex James Kane,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
-
None of the songs overstay their welcome.—
Liza Lentini,
SPIN,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Pinch-hitter Josh Rojas had a go-ahead, two-run single in the ninth inning in his Kansas City debut and the Royals outlasted the Minnesota Twins 8-6 on Thursday night.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 June 2026
-
Game 1 of the NBA Finals lived up to all the hype with the New York Knicks outlasting the San Antonio Spurs 105-95 at the Frost Bank Center on Wednesday.—
Jacob Lev,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
The one question lingering after the Garrett trade was whether or not his addition would lure Rams great Aaron Donald, 35, out of retirement for one last ride.—
Adam Grosbard,
Oc Register,
9 June 2026
-
When someone of Perkins’ caliber is cast in a recurring role, they won’t be expected to just linger in the background.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
The risk of outliving the plan.—
Jon Sabes,
Fortune,
7 June 2026
-
Childress sat up on the Michigan International Speedway media center stage having provided the rides for two of the sport’s generational superstars, and, now at 80 years old, outlived both.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
6 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Outstay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outstay. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
