stay

1 of 6

noun (1)

ˈstā 

1

: a large strong rope usually of wire used to support a mast

2

: guy entry 2

stay

2 of 6

verb (1)

stayed; staying; stays

transitive verb

1

: to secure upright with or as if with stays

2

: to incline (a mast) forward, aft, or to one side by the stays

intransitive verb

: to go about : tack

stay

3 of 6

verb (2)

stayed ˈstād  also staid ˈstād  ; staying

intransitive verb

1

: to stop going forward : pause

I couldn't stay to hear the story.

2

: to stop doing something : cease

3

: to continue in a place or condition : remain

stayed up all night

went for a short vacation but stayed on for weeks

stay put till I come back

Please stay seated.

We stayed home last night.

They stayed friends after college.

4

: to stand firm

5

: to live in a place usually for a short time : lodge

stayed in a hotel

Will you be staying with us all week?

6

: to keep even in a contest or rivalry

stay with the leaders

7

: to call a poker bet without raising

8

obsolete : to be in waiting or attendance

transitive verb

1

: to wait for : await

I will not stay thy questions …

—William Shakespeare

2

: to stick or remain with (a race, a trial of endurance, etc.) to the end

—usually used in the phrase stay the course

3

: to remain during

stayed the whole time

4

a

: to stop or delay the progress or advance of by or as if by interposing an obstacle : halt, restrain

"What a pity that Bilbo did not stab that vile creature, when he had a chance!" "Pity? It was Pity that stayed his hand."

—J. R. R. Tolkien

b

: to check the course of (something, such as a disease)

c

: allay, pacify

stayed tempers

d

: to quiet the hunger of temporarily

e

: to temporarily suspend or prevent by judicial or executive order

stay an order/execution

stay

4 of 6

noun (2)

1

a

: the action of halting : the state of being stopped

b

: a stopping or suspension of procedure or execution by judicial or executive order

2

obsolete : self-control, moderation

3

: a residence or visit in a place

I hope you have a pleasant stay.

4

: capacity for endurance

stay

5 of 6

noun (3)

1

: one that serves as a support

2

: a thin firm strip (as of plastic) used for stiffening a garment or part (such as a shirt collar)

3

: a corset stiffened with bones

—usually used in plural

stay

6 of 6

verb (3)

stayed; staying; stays

transitive verb

1

: to provide physical or moral support for : sustain

2

: to fix on something as a foundation

Synonyms of stay

Verb (2)

• remain
• wait

Noun (2)

• visit

Noun (3)

• support
• shore
• reinforcement
• mount
• brace
• pillar

Verb (3)

• sustain
• carry
• support
• bolster
• uphold

Choose the Right Synonym for stay

defer, postpone, suspend, stay mean to delay an action or proceeding.

defer implies a deliberate putting off to a later time.

deferred buying a car until spring

postpone implies an intentional deferring usually to a definite time.

the game is postponed until Saturday

suspend implies temporary stoppage with an added suggestion of waiting until some condition is satisfied.

business will be suspended while repairs are underway

stay often suggests the stopping or checking by an intervening agency or authority.

the governor stayed the execution

Examples of stay in a Sentence

Verb (2)

let's stay inside this pavilion until it stops raining

stay the trial until this new evidence has been processed

we'll stay for a while longer and see if anyone shows up

let's stay at a quaint inn rather than at some generic motel

Noun (2)

my mother-in-law is coming for a brief stay next week

we must work without stay if we are ever to reach our goal of equal rights for everyone

Noun (3)

a free press is one of the principal stays of a democratic society

Verb (3)

beams being used to stay the bridge while it is undergoing repairs

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

ResortPass offers day passes for hotel spas, allowing access to amenities without an overnight stay. —Michael Salerno, AZCentral.com, 3 Nov. 2025

Those trends have created a new equilibrium that are keeping a lid on unemployment even as hiring stays subdued. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 3 Nov. 2025

Verb

Firms that had stayed disciplined during the post-pandemic liquidity rush — holding back from inflated valuations and cheap leverage — are the ones outperforming, according to Bae. —Anniek Bao, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2025

To raise your luxe stay to the next level, reserve a Ceiba Club room or suite, an exclusive premium tier of accommodations and service. —Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 5 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English stæg; akin to Old Norse stag stay

Verb (2)

Middle English, from Anglo-French estei-, estai-, stem of ester to stand, stay, from Latin stare — more at stand

Noun (3)

Middle English, from Middle French estaie, of Germanic origin; akin to Middle Dutch stake pole, Middle Low German stak post, stake pole — more at stake

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

1627, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Verb (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun (2)

1537, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (3)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (3)

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing stay

• are/keep/stay one jump ahead
• be/stay holed up
• get/stay/keep out of someone's/the way
• here to stay
• keep/stay apace with
• keep/stay cool
• keep/stay mum
• keep/stay on her boss's good side
• keep/stay out of trouble
• short-stay
• spend/stay the night
• stay-at-home
• stay away
• stay behind
• stay friends
• stay home
• stay in
• stay/keep ahead of the field
• stay/keep in practice
• stay of execution
• stay off
• stay on
• stay out
• stay out of (something)
• stay over
• stay put
• stay the course
• stay the night
• stay tuned
• stay up
• stay with
• stay woke

Rhymes for stay

• ay
• bay
• bey
• brae
• cay
• chez
• dey
• dray
• fay
• fey
• flay
• fray

Kids Definition

stay

1 of 6 noun

ˈstā 

: a strong rope or wire used to steady or brace something (as a mast)

stay

2 of 6 verb

: to fasten (as a smokestack) with stays

stay

3 of 6 verb

1

: to stop going forward : pause

2

: to continue in a place or condition : remain

stayed at home

3

: to stand firm

4

: to take up residence : lodge

stayed in a hotel

5

: wait entry 1 sense 1a

6

: to last out (as a race)

7

: check entry 2 sense 2, halt

stay an execution

stay

4 of 6 noun

1

: the action of halting : the state of being stopped

2

: a stopping of a procedure by court or executive order

3

: a residence or visit in a place

stay

5 of 6 noun

1

: something that serves as a prop : support

2

: a thin firm strip (as of plastic) used for stiffening a garment (as a corset) or part (as a shirt collar)

stay

6 of 6 verb

: to provide support for

Etymology

Noun

Old English stæg "a strong rope used to steady or support something"

Verb

Middle English stayen "to stop going forward," from early French ester "to stand, stay," from Latin stare "to stand"

Noun

from early French estaie "a support, prop"; of Germanic origin

Legal Definition

stay

1 of 2 transitive verb

stayed; staying

: to temporarily suspend or prevent by judicial or executive order

may not grant an injunction to stay proceedings in a State court

—U.S. Code

stay

2 of 2 noun

: a temporary suspension or injunction of an action or process by a usually discretionary judicial or executive order

a stay of execution of the judgment

stay of a lower court's judgment pending certiorari

—W. J. Brennan, Jr.

see also automatic stay compare cease-and-desist order at order sense 3b, mandamus, supersedeas