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
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The system will be able to track if visitors overstay their welcome in the Schengen Area, which is a zone of 29 European countries that allow movement.—
Ashley J. DiMella,
FOXNews.com,
13 Mar. 2026
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Somehow, even at only 13 minutes, BIG MAMA manages to overstay its welcome.—
Sam Goldner,
Pitchfork,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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For Iran's leadership, by contrast, merely outlasting the onslaught could be seen as victory.—
JON GAMBRELL AND DAVID RISING THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
27 Mar. 2026
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Surviving could be seen as victory for Iran For Iran’s leadership, by contrast, merely outlasting the onslaught could be seen as victory.—
Jon Gambrell,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Continue on to The Shed Distillery, where Drumshanbo gin is distilled among forest-edge botanicals; the tasting room and café are worth lingering in.—
Condé Nast Traveler,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Mar. 2026
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For many in South Florida, the possibility of compensation remains uncertain — with major questions lingering over eligibility, funding, and whether any agreement would require significant political concessions.—
Ivan Taylor,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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His legacy to our nation will outlive any tweet or any statement of the current president.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Mar. 2026
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Today’s retirees are outliving any previous generation.—
Steve Booren,
Denver Post,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Outstay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/outstay. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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