1
: a large strong rope usually of wire used to support a mast
2
stayed; staying; stays
1
: to secure upright with or as if with stays
2
: to incline (a mast) forward, aft, or to one side by the stays
: to go about : tack
1
: to stop going forward : pause
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
4
: to stand firm
5
: to take up residence : lodge
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
1
: to wait for : await
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
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 sojourn in a place
4
: capacity for endurance
1
: one that serves as a prop : 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
stayed; staying; stays
1
: to provide physical or moral support for : sustain
2
: to fix on something as a foundation
Synonyms
Verb (2)
Noun (2)
Noun (3)
Verb (3)
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
Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 24 May 2024
The property is seeking to make the most of its PortMiami neighbor, hoping to lure cruise passengers for a stay.
—Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 22 May 2024
In a brief interview in the outdoor common area, a man who described himself as a music producer and declined to give his name, said his stay has been quiet and relatively affordable.
—Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2024
Doctors recommended a two-day procedure to remove him, with an overnight stay at a hotel near the hospital.
—Lisa Lerer, New York Times, 20 May 2024
This person is an accredited staffer who escorts the child throughout their stay for an additional cost.
—Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 19 May 2024
There’s an option for everyone on the list: the history buff, those looking for a fairytale vacation and travelers who want a picture-perfect beach stay.
—Christopher Murray, Fox News, 16 May 2024
The state promptly appealed to the Supreme Court seeking an emergency stay that would preserve the current map, with two majority Black districts, for this election cycle.
—Nina Totenberg, NPR, 15 May 2024
As the show’s catalog explains, Bonds was capturing her own experience of looking through various windows during a hospital stay and seeing other patients, all on their own medical journeys and all with individual and complicated paths.
—Ray Mark Rinaldi, The Denver Post, 14 May 2024
Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2024
Subscribe to the Eye on AI newsletter to stay abreast of how AI is shaping the future of business.
—Tom Krisher, Fortune, 14 May 2024
But when the money from her scholarship ran out in 1951, Munro could no longer afford to stay enrolled.
—Annabel Gutterman, TIME, 14 May 2024
Explorer vessels, born out of the owners’ desires to go farther and stay longer, without sacrificing creature comforts, is developing with some urgency.
—Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 14 May 2024
Law enforcement shot and killed a homeowner during a raid seeking the man’s brother-in-law, who was staying at his house, a lawsuit says.
—Olivia Lloyd, Charlotte Observer, 14 May 2024
The Dali's 21-member crew will stay onboard the ship while the explosives are detonated.
—CBS News, 13 May 2024
Young also recommends bamboo sheets for hot sleepers who want to stay cool.
—Deanne Revel, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 May 2024
Thomas spent the last few days of his life staying at the hotel, and Smith lived there for a while.
—EW.com, 19 Apr. 2024
Noun
The rooms are equally alluring, made with minimalistic designs but still with all the right high-end touches to make a stay feel special.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 24 May 2024
The property is seeking to make the most of its PortMiami neighbor, hoping to lure cruise passengers for a stay.
—Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 22 May 2024
In a brief interview in the outdoor common area, a man who described himself as a music producer and declined to give his name, said his stay has been quiet and relatively affordable.
—Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2024
Doctors recommended a two-day procedure to remove him, with an overnight stay at a hotel near the hospital.
—Lisa Lerer, New York Times, 20 May 2024
This person is an accredited staffer who escorts the child throughout their stay for an additional cost.
—Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY, 19 May 2024
There’s an option for everyone on the list: the history buff, those looking for a fairytale vacation and travelers who want a picture-perfect beach stay.
—Christopher Murray, Fox News, 16 May 2024
The state promptly appealed to the Supreme Court seeking an emergency stay that would preserve the current map, with two majority Black districts, for this election cycle.
—Nina Totenberg, NPR, 15 May 2024
As the show’s catalog explains, Bonds was capturing her own experience of looking through various windows during a hospital stay and seeing other patients, all on their own medical journeys and all with individual and complicated paths.
—Ray Mark Rinaldi, The Denver Post, 14 May 2024
Verb
In other bad news for Montanans hoping Colstrip stays open, the plant’s operator, Talen Energy, had planned to acquire a big share of its ownership from a Washington electric utility that’s legally required to stop buying coal power by the end of next year.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2024
Subscribe to the Eye on AI newsletter to stay abreast of how AI is shaping the future of business.
—Tom Krisher, Fortune, 14 May 2024
But when the money from her scholarship ran out in 1951, Munro could no longer afford to stay enrolled.
—Annabel Gutterman, TIME, 14 May 2024
Explorer vessels, born out of the owners’ desires to go farther and stay longer, without sacrificing creature comforts, is developing with some urgency.
—Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 14 May 2024
Law enforcement shot and killed a homeowner during a raid seeking the man’s brother-in-law, who was staying at his house, a lawsuit says.
—Olivia Lloyd, Charlotte Observer, 14 May 2024
The Dali's 21-member crew will stay onboard the ship while the explosives are detonated.
—CBS News, 13 May 2024
Young also recommends bamboo sheets for hot sleepers who want to stay cool.
—Deanne Revel, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 May 2024
Thomas spent the last few days of his life staying at the hotel, and Smith lived there for a while.
—EW.com, 19 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stay.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near stay
Cite this Entry
“Stay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stay. Accessed 28 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
stay
1 of 6 noun
: 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 verb1
: 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
6
: to last out (as a race)
7
: check entry 2 sense 2, halt
stay an execution
stay
4 of 6 noun1
: 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 noun1
: 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
U.S. Codestay
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
W. J. Brennan, Jr.Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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