English Dictionary
Definition of “stay”
1stay1 (steɪ
)
Definitions
verb
- (intr) to continue or remain in a certain place, position, etc ⇒
to stay outside
- (copula) to continue to be; remain ⇒
to stay awake
- (intr) at to reside temporarily, esp as a guest ⇒
to stay at a hotel
- (tr) to remain for a specified period ⇒
to stay the weekend
- (intr) Scottish South Africa to reside permanently or habitually; live
- archaic to stop or cause to stop
- (intr) to wait, pause, or tarry
- (tr) to delay or hinder
- (tr)
- to discontinue or suspend (a judicial proceeding)
- to hold in abeyance or restrain from enforcing (an order, decree, etc)
- to endure (something testing or difficult, such as a race) ⇒
a horse that stays the course
- (intr) with to keep pace (with a competitor in a race, etc)
- (intr) poker to raise one's stakes enough to stay in a round
- (tr) to hold back or restrain ⇒
to stay one's anger
- (tr) to satisfy or appease (an appetite, etc) temporarily
- (tr) archaic to quell or suppress
- (intr) archaic to stand firm
- See stay put
noun
- the act of staying or sojourning in a place or the period during which one stays
- the act of stopping or restraining or state of being stopped, etc
- the suspension of a judicial proceeding, etc ⇒
stay of execution
Word Origin
C15 staien , from Anglo-French estaier , to stay, from Old French ester to stay, from Latin stāre to stand
Synonyms
View thesaurus entry
=
remain,
continue to be
linger,
stand,
stop,
wait,
settle,
delay,
halt,
pause,
hover,
abide,
hang around,
reside,
stay put,
bide,
loiter,
hang in the air
tarry,
put down roots establish yourself =
delay,
hold,
check,
prevent,
arrest,
detain,
curb,
hinder,
obstruct,
impede,
2stay2 (steɪ)
Definitions
noun
- anything that supports or steadies, such as a prop or buttress
- a thin strip of metal, plastic, bone, etc, used to stiffen corsets, etc
verb (tr)
archaic - (often foll by up) to prop or hold
- (often foll by up) to comfort or sustain
- on or upon to cause to rely or depend
Word Origin
C16: from Old French estaye, of Germanic origin; compare stay³
3stay3 (steɪ)
Definitions
noun
- a rope, cable, or chain, usually one of a set, used for bracing uprights, such as masts, funnels, flagpoles, chimneys, etc; guy See also stays (sense 2)
, stays (sense 3)
Word Origin
Old English stæg ; related to Old Norse stag , Middle Low German stach , Norwegian stagle wooden post
Translations
- British English:
stay
The time you spend in a place is your stay there.He had a short stay in hospital.steɪ NOUN He had a short stay in hospital.
- Spanish:
estadía
nf
- French:
séjour
nm
- German:
Aufenthalt
nm
- Chinese: 逗留 n
- Arabic: إِقَامَة n
- Portuguese: estadia nf
- Russian: пребывание nnt
- Croatian: boravak nm
- Czech: pobyt nm
- Danish: ophold nnt
- Dutch: verblijf nnt
- Finnish: oleskelu n
- Greek: παραμονή nf
- Italian: permanenza nf
- Japanese: 滞在 n
- Korean: 지주 n
- Norwegian: stag nnt
- Polish: pobyt nm
- Brazilian Portuguese: estadia nf
- European Spanish:
estancia
nf
- Swedish: uppskov nnt
- Thai: การพักอยู่ n
- Turkish: kalış n
- Vietnamese: thời gian ở n
- British English:
stay
If you stay in a place, you do not move away from it.She stayed in bed until noon.steɪ VERB She stayed in bed until noon.
- Spanish:
quedarse
v
- French:
rester
vi
- German:
bleiben
v
- Chinese: 逗留 v
- Arabic: يَبْقَى v
- Portuguese: ficar v
- Russian: останавливаться v
- Croatian: ostati v
- Czech: pobýt v pobývat
- Danish: forblive v
- Dutch: blijven v
- Finnish: jäädä v
- Greek: μένω v
- Italian: restare v
- Japanese: とどまる v
- Korean: 머무르다 v
- Norwegian: forbli v
- Polish: zostać v zostawać
- Brazilian Portuguese: ficar v
- European Spanish:
quedarse
v
- Swedish: stanna v
- Thai: พักอยู่ v
- Turkish: kalmak v
- Vietnamese: ở lại v
- British English:
stay
If you stay somewhere, you live there for a short time.He stayed with them for two weeks.steɪ VERB He stayed with them for two weeks.
- French:
séjourner
vi
- Arabic: يَبْقَى v
- Brazilian Portuguese: ficar vi
Usage examples
She might even be able to stay away from Awakenings, depending on what the work was.
Garth Nix, LIRAEL: DAUGHTER OF THE CLAYR (2001)The recent run of mild winters is likely to lead to generations of stoats that stay brown all year.
Country Life (2004)Suppose that a mandatory stay in hospital were legislated for, along with certification that all medical treatments had been tried.
Irish Times (2002)Vanity - the need to stay the expanding girth - also plays a part in my choice.
Glasgow Herald (2001)It was tremendously important to him that his son should stay at school.
Dorothy Rowe, BEYOND FEAR (2002)
