Link Centre Dictionary

stay

UK/steɪ/ US/ste/ very common uk
noun (5) verb (11)

noun

1.

continuing or remaining in a place or state

  • “they had a nice stay in Paris”
  • “a lengthy hospital stay”
  • “a four-month stay in bankruptcy court”
2.

a judicial order forbidding some action until an event occurs or the order is lifted

  • “the Supreme Court has the power to stay an injunction pending an appeal to the whole Court”
3.

the state of inactivity following an interruption

  • “the negotiations were in arrest”
  • “held them in check”
  • “during the halt he got some lunch”
  • “the momentary stay enabled him to escape the blow”
  • “he spent the entire stop in his seat”
Synonyms
4.

(nautical) brace consisting of a heavy rope or wire cable used as a support for a mast or spar

5.

a thin strip of metal or bone that is used to stiffen a garment (e.g. a corset)

verb

1.

stay the same; remain in a certain state

  • “The dress remained wet after repeated attempts to dry it”
  • “rest assured”
  • “stay alone”
  • “He remained unmoved by her tears”
  • “The bad weather continued for another week”
Synonyms
Antonyms
2.

stay put (in a certain place)

  • “We are staying in Detroit; we are not moving to Cincinnati”
  • “Stay put in the corner here!”
  • “Stick around and you will learn something!”
Synonyms
Antonyms
3.

dwell

  • “You can stay with me while you are in town”
  • “stay a bit longer--the day is still young”
Synonyms
4.

continue in a place, position, or situation

  • “After graduation, she stayed on in Cambridge as a student adviser”
  • “Stay with me, please”
  • “despite student protests, he remained Dean for another year”
  • “She continued as deputy mayor for another year”
Synonyms
5.

remain behind

  • “I had to stay at home and watch the children”
Antonyms
6.

stop or halt

  • “Please stay the bloodshed!”
Synonyms
7.

stay behind

  • “The smell stayed in the room”
  • “The hostility remained long after they made up”
Synonyms
8.

a trial of endurance

  • “ride out the storm”
Synonyms
9.

stop a judicial process

  • “The judge stayed the execution order”
10.

fasten with stays

11.

overcome or allay

  • “quell my hunger”
Synonyms

Origin

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....

Phrases

  • gay for the stay
  • perch stay
  • stay time

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.