1
as in to overstay
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2
as in to outlast
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Example Sentences
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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
-
Resist the urge to start seeds earlier than recommended, as seedlings that overstay their welcome indoors become lanky, weak, and are more susceptible to disease.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Others overstay tourist visas, seek asylum or have some form of temporary status.—
Vanessa A. Alvarez,
Fortune,
3 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Jacob Klass poured in 27 points as Beverly (16-4) outlasted Charlestown 70-68 to take home the Comcast Tournament crown.—
Tom Mulherin,
Boston Herald,
16 Feb. 2026
-
After Richardson and Hayes were eliminated, Johnson outlasted Bryant in the final round to win the event.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Weir was right, but those tours — whether billed as the Other Ones or the Dead — were a blend of old camaraderie and lingering friction between the members.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Friday afternoon the rain will linger, but become more patchy in nature.—
Steven Sosna,
CBS News,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Hadi’s exceptional attention gives cinematic identity to collective artisanal energy, to the life force of care and devotion that stands outside the agonies of politics, to the spirit that endures a regime and outlives it.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2026
-
My book belongs to ongoing discussions that live in and outlive literary dilemmas.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Outstay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outstay. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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