Word.ws English Dictionary

stay

/steɪ/

More pronunciations (1)Fewer pronunciations

Scotland/ste/

stay verb: to remain in a particular place, especially for a definite or short period of time; sojourn; abide.

Verb (1)

stay (third-person singular simple present stays, present participle staying, simple past and past participle stayed or (obsolete) staid)

  1. (intransitive) To remain in a particular place, especially for a definite or short period of time; sojourn; abide.
    • We stayed in Hawaii for a week. I can only stay for an hour.
    • She would commaund the hasty Sunne to stay,
      Or backward turne his course from heuen's hight,1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto X”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, page 140
    Synonyms:
    abide
  2. (copulative, intransitive) To continue to have a particular quality.
    • Wear gloves so your hands stay warm.
    • Promise me you'll always stay/remain my little prince.
    Synonyms:
    continue
  3. (transitive) To prop; support; sustain; hold up; steady.
    • Lord Mayor of London. See, where he stands between two clergymen!
      Duke of Buckingham. Two props of virtue for a Christian prince,
      To stay him from the fall of vanity:c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and...
    • But Moses hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Exodus 17:12
    Synonyms:
    bear, prop up, uphold
  4. (transitive) To support from sinking; to sustain with strength; to satisfy in part or for the time.
    • […] he has devoured a whole loaf of bread and butter, as fast as Phoebe could cut it, and it has not staid his stomach for a minute […]1826, [Walter Scott], chapter XX, in Woodstock; Or, The Cavalier. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for Archibald Constable and Co.; London...
  5. (transitive) To stop; detain; keep back; delay; hinder.
    • Your ships are stay’d at Venice.c. 1590–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
    • This business staid me in London almost a week […]1671, John Evelyn, Diary, entry dated 14 November, 1671, in The Diary of John Evelyn, London: Macmillan, 1906, Volume 2, p. 337
  6. (transitive) To restrain; withhold; check; stop.
    • […] all that may but with any the least shew of possibility stay their mindes from thinking that true, which they heartily wish were false, but cannot think it so […]1597, Richard Hooker, Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity, Book 5, in The Works of Mr. Richard Hooker, London: Andrew Crook, 1666, p.
    • So David stayed his servants with these words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Samuel 24:7
    Synonyms:
    curb
  7. (transitive) To cause to cease; to put an end to.
    • Now stay your strife […]c. 1588–1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac...
    • For flattering planets seemed to say
      This child should ills of ages stay,1847, Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Threnody”, in Poems, Boston: James Munroe, page 242
    Synonyms:
    cancel
  8. (transitive) To put off; defer; postpone; delay; keep back.
    • The governor stayed the execution until the appeal could be heard.
    • Without one word to deny himself, Yuan let himself be bound, his hands behind his back, and no one could stay the matter.1935, Pearl S. Buck, A House Divided, London: Methuen, Part 1, p. 137
  9. (transitive) To hold the attention of.
  10. (obsolete, transitive) To bear up under; to endure; to hold out against; to resist.
    • She will not stay the siege of loving terms,
      Nor bide the encounter of assailing eyes,c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and...
    Synonyms:
    endure
  11. (obsolete, transitive) To wait for; await.
    • My father stays my coming;c. 1590–1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and...
    • Let me stay the growth of his beard,c. 1598–1600 (date written), William Shakespeare, “As You Like It”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount...
    Synonyms:
    await
  12. (obsolete, transitive) To remain for the purpose of; to stay to take part in or be present at (a meal, ceremony etc.).
    • I stay dinner there.c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and...
    • Some of the company staid supper, which prevented the embarrassment that must unavoidably have arisen, had the family been by themselves.1791, Elizabeth Inchbald, A Simple Story, Oxford, published 2009, page 177
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  1. (intransitive, obsolete) To rest; depend; rely.
    • Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon:1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Isaiah 30:12
    • I stay here on my bond.c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
  2. (intransitive, obsolete) To stop; come to a stand or standstill.
    Synonyms:
    blin
  3. (archaic, intransitive) To come to an end; cease.
    • That day the storm stayed.
    • Here my commission stays,1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and...
    Synonyms:
    cease
  4. (archaic, intransitive) To dwell; linger; tarry; wait.
    • Yet not to be wholly silent of all your Charities I must stay a little on one Action, which preferr’d the Relief of Others, to the Consideration of your Self.1700, John Dryden, Fables Ancient and Modern, London: Jacob Tonson, dedicatory epistle
  5. (dated, intransitive) To make a stand; to stand firm.
  6. (intransitive) To hold out, as in a race or contest; last or persevere to the end; to show staying power.
    • That horse stays well.
  7. (intransitive, obsolete) To wait; rest in patience or expectation.
    • I’ll tell thee all my whole device / When I am in my coach, which stays for us.c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
    • The Father cannot stay any longer for the Portion, nor the Mother for a new Sett of Babies to play with […]1693, [John Locke], “(please specify the section number)”, in Some Thoughts Concerning Education, London: […] A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, […], →OCLC, page 260
    Synonyms:
    wait
  8. (intransitive, obsolete) To wait as an attendant; give ceremonious or submissive attendance.
    • I have a servant comes with me along,
      That stays upon me […]c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
    • Worthy Macbeth, we stay upon your leisure.c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount...
    Synonyms:
    attend
  9. (India, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, Southern US, colloquial) To live; reside.
    • Hey, where do you stay at?

Noun (1)

stay (plural stays)

  1. Continuance or a period of time spent in a place; abode for an indefinite time.
    • I hope you enjoyed your stay in Hawaii.
    Synonyms:
    sojourn
  2. A postponement, especially of an execution or other punishment.
    • The governor granted a stay of execution.
    • Later that day, however, Judge O'Kelley signed a stay of execution when Mr. Potts authorized other attorneys to renew his appeals.1980 June 25, “A.C.L.U. Seeks to Stay Execution of Georgian”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
  3. (archaic) A stop; a halt; a break or cessation of action, motion, or progress.
    • stand at a stay
    • Made of ſphear-metal, never to decay / Untill his revolution was at ſtay.1646 (indicated as 1645), John Milton, “Another on the ſame”, in Poems of Mr. John Milton, […], London: […] Ruth Raworth for Humphrey Mosely, […], →OCLC, page 29
  4. A fixed state; fixedness; stability; permanence.
  5. A station or fixed anchorage for vessels.
  6. Restraint of passion; prudence; moderation; caution; steadiness; sobriety.
    • The wisdom, stay, and moderation of the king.1622, Francis, Lord Verulam, Viscount St. Alban [i.e. Francis Bacon], The Historie of the Raigne of King Henry the Seventh, […], London: […] W[illiam] Stansby for Matthew Lownes, and William Barret...
    • Not grudging that thy lust hath bounds and stays.1633, George Herbert, The Church Porch
  7. (obsolete) Hindrance; let; check.
    • They were able to read good authors without any stay, if the book were not false.1551, Thomas More, “(please specify the Internet Archive page)”, in Raphe Robynson [i.e., Ralph Robinson], transl., A Fruteful, and Pleasaunt Worke of the Best State of a Publyque Weale, and of the...

Noun (2)

stay (plural stays)

  1. A prop; a support.
    • My onely strength and stay.1667, John Milton, “Book IX”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished...
    • The trees themselves serve, at the same time, as so many stays for their Vines1705, J[oseph] Addison, Remarks on Several Parts of Italy, &c. in the Years 1701, 1702, 1703, London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC
  2. A piece of stiff material, such as plastic or whalebone, used to stiffen a piece of clothing.
    • Where are the stays for my collar?
  3. (in plural) A corset.
    • Her figure was tall, yet not too tall; comely and well-developed, yet not fat; her head set on her shoulders with an easy, pliant firmness; her waist, perfection in the eyes of a man, for it occupied its natural place, it filled out its natural circle, it was visibly and delightfully undeformed by...1859, Wilkie Collins, The Woman in White
    • When Jenny's stays are newly laced.1718, Mat[thew] Prior, “Alma: Or, The Progress of the Mind”, in Poems on Several Occasions, London: […] Jacob Tonson […], and John Barber […], →OCLC
  4. (archaic) A fastening for a garment; a hook; a clasp; anything to hang another thing on.

Particle

stay

  1. (African-American Vernacular) Aspect marker indicating frequency or permanence.
    • He stay fighting.

Noun (3)

stay (plural stays)

  1. A strong rope or wire supporting a mast, and leading from one masthead down to some other, or other part of the vessel.
  2. A guy, rope, or wire supporting or stabilizing a platform, such as a bridge, a pole, such as a tentpole, the mast of a derrick, or other structural element.
    • The engineer insisted on using stays for the scaffolding.
  3. The transverse piece in a chain-cable link.

Verb (2)

stay (third-person singular simple present stays, present participle staying, simple past and past participle stayed)

  1. To brace or support with a stay or stays
    • stay a mast
  2. (transitive) To incline forward, aft, or to one side by means of stays.
  3. (transitive) To tack; put on the other tack.
    • to stay ship
  4. (intransitive) To change; tack; go about; be in stays, as a ship.

Adjective

stay (comparative stayer or more stay, superlative stayest or most stay)

  1. (UK, dialectal) Steep; ascending.
    • The Castle of Edr. is naturally a great strenth situate upon the top of a high Rock perpendicular on all sides, except on the entry from the burgh, which is a stay ascent and is well fortified with strong Walls, three gates each one within another, with Drawbridges, and all necessary fortifications.1908, Publications of the Scottish History Society, volume 53, page 121
  2. (UK, dialectal) (of a roof) Steeply pitched.
  3. (UK, dialectal) Difficult to negotiate; not easy to access; sheer.
  4. (UK, dialectal) Stiff; upright; unbending; reserved; haughty; proud.

Adverb

stay (comparative stayer or more stay, superlative stayest or most stay)

  1. (UK, dialectal) Steeply.

Proper noun capitalized: Stay

Stay (plural Stays)

  1. A surname.

stay meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

stay in Hindi

to remain in a particular place
ठहरना ṭhaharnā, रहना rahnā

stay in Tamil

தங்கு, இரு, ஏங்கு

stay in Marathi

to stay, remain, persist, sustain
टिकणे ṭikṇe
stay, place of halt
मुक्काम mukkām
to stay
वागणे vāgṇe

stay in Urdu

to remain in a particular place
رہنا rahnā
More languagesFewer languages
stay in Bengali
থাকা thaka, রওয়া roōẇa, রয়ে যাওয়া roẏe jaōẇa
stay in Telugu
బసచేయు basacēyu, ఉనికి uniki, నిలబడు nilabaḍu, ఉండు uṇḍu
stay in Malayalam
തഞ്ചുക tañcuka, ഇരിക്കുക irikkuka
stay in Kannada
ತಂಗಣೆ, ಇರವು, ನೆಲಸುವಿಕೆ, ತಂಗುವಿಕೆ
stay in Punjabi
ਰਹਿਣਾ rahiṇā, ਵਾਸ vās, ਨਿਵਾਸ nivās, ਰੁਕਣਾ rukṇā
stay in Gujarati
રહેવું rahevũ
stay in Odia
ଥାକିବା thākibā, ତିଷ୍ଠିବା tiṣṭhibā
stay in Sanskrit
गाधते gādhate, तिष्ठति tíṣṭhati
stay in Assamese
থাকা thaka, থাক thak, উঠ uth
stay in Nepali
रहनु rahanu
stay in Tagalog
manatili, pa rin
stay in Arabic
مَكَثَ makaṯa, بَقِيَ baqiya, إِقَامَة ʔiqāma
stay in Malay
tinggal
stay in Persian
ماندن mândan, هاچه hâče
stay in Thai
อยู่ yùu, คงอยู่ kong-yùu
stay in Vietnamese
ở
stay in Myanmar
နေ ne

Examples of stay in a sentence

  • Stay, I command you; stay and hear me first,1681, John Dryden, The Spanish Fryar: Or, the Double Discovery. […], London: […] Richard Tonson and Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, Act IV, page...
  • “Well,” I says, “I cal'late a body could get used to Tophet if he stayed there long enough.” ¶ She flared up; the least mite of a slam at Doctor Wool was enough to set her going.1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter V, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
  • For as the Flames augment, and as they stay / At their full Height, then languish to decay, / They rise, and sink by Fits […]1700, [John] Dryden, “Meleager and Atalanta, out of the Eighth Book of Ovid’s Metamorphosis”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London...
  • The evergreen arch wouldn’t stay firm after she got it up, but wiggled and threatened to tumble down on her head when the hanging baskets were filled.1869, Louisa M[ay] Alcott, chapter XXX, in Little Women: […], 2nd part, Boston, Mass.: Roberts Brothers, →OCLC:

All 40 example sentences with stay

Synonyms of stay

25 more synonymsFewer synonyms

All synonyms of stay

Forms of stay

Verb
third-person singular presentstays
present participlestaying
past participlestayed
paststayed
past participle (obsolete)staid
past (obsolete)staid
second-person singular present (archaic)stayest
second-person singular past (archaic)stayedst
third-person singular present (archaic)stayeth
past participle (archaic)staid
Noun
pluralstays

Past tense of stay: stayed

Plural of stay: stays

Origin of stay

From Middle English steyen, staien, from Old French estayer, estaier (“to fix, prop up, support, stay”), from estaye, estaie (“a prop, stay”), from Middle Dutch staeye (“a prop, stay”), a contracted form of staede, stade (“a prop, stay, help, aid”) (compare Middle Dutch staeyen, staeden (“to make firm, stay, support, hold still, stabilise”)), from Proto-West Germanic *stadi (“a site, place, location, standing”), from Proto-Germanic *stadiz (“a standing, place”), from Proto-Indo-European *stéh₂tis (“standing”). Influenced by Old English stæġ ("a stay, rope"; see below). Cognate with Old English stede (“a place, spot, locality, fixed position, station, site, standing, status, position of a moving body, stopping, standing still, stability, fixity, firmness, steadfastness”), Swedish stödja (“to prop, support, brace, hold up, bolster”), Icelandic stöðug (“continuous, stable”). More at stead, steady. Sense of "remain, continue" may be due to later influence from Old French ester, esteir (“to stand, be, continue, remain”), from Latin stāre (“stand”), from the same Proto-Indo-European root above; however, derivation from this root is untenable based on linguistic and historical grounds....

From Middle English stay, from Old French estaye, estaie (“a prop, a stay”), from Middle Dutch staeye (“a prop, stay”), a contracted form of staede, stade ("a prop, stay, help, aid"; compare Middle Dutch staeyen, staeden (“to make firm, stay, support, hold still, stabilise”)), from Old Dutch *stad (“a site, place, location, standing”), from Proto-Germanic *stadiz (“a standing, place”), from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- (“to stand”). See above.

From Middle English stay, from Old English stæġ (“stay, a rope supporting a mast”), from Proto-West Germanic *stag, from Proto-Germanic *stagą (“stay, rope”), from Proto-Indo-European *stek-, *stāk- (“stand, pole”), from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- (“to stand”). Cognate with Dutch stag (“stay”), German Stag (“stay”), Swedish stag (“stay”), Icelandic stag (“stay”).

Words formed from stay

Phrases with stay

12 more phrasesFewer phrases

Words that rhyme with stay

48 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about stay

What does stay mean?
Stay means to remain in a particular place, especially for a definite or short period of time; sojourn; abide.
What is stay in Hindi?
Stay in Hindi is ठहरना (ṭhaharnā), रहना (rahnā). See Stay meaning in Hindi.
How do you use stay in a sentence?
Stay, I command you; stay and hear me first,
What part of speech is stay?
Stay can be a verb, a noun, a particle or an adjective.
How do you pronounce stay?
Stay is pronounced /steɪ/.
What is the past tense of stay?
The past tense of stay is stayed.

Words near stay in the dictionary

  1. Stawski
  2. Stawskis
  3. stawsome
  4. StAX
  5. staxis
  6. stay
  7. stay and play
  8. stay at home
  9. stay at homes
  10. stay away
  11. stay back

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: stay (page history and authors); Stay (page history and authors); stay (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); टिकणे (Marathi) (page history and authors); ఉండు (Telugu) (page history and authors); ഇരിക്കുക (Malayalam) (page history and authors); stay (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors); کھلونا (Punjabi) (page history and authors); રહેવું (Gujarati) (page history and authors); ତିଷ୍ଠିବା (Odia) (page history and authors); উঠ (Assamese) (page history and authors); रहनु (Nepali) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-stay.ogg.

Cite this entry: “stay.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/stay. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.