stay
stay — verb
1. to deliberately keep yourself in the same spot or circumstance, choosing not to
to deliberately keep yourself in the same spot or circumstance, choosing not to head somewhere else or shift from where you already are.
The doctor told Yuki to stay in bed for three days after the surgery.
stay + adverbial of place (in bed)
Theo stayed late at the office to finish the report his manager needed.
Several guests stayed at the party long after midnight, chatting by the pool.
stay + at [place/event]
Amani decided to stay at her current job rather than look for something new.
The neighbour's cat stayed under the sofa the whole time the visitors were there.
- stay behind
- stay late
- stay home
- stay put
Grammar Patterns
stay + adverbial of place
Usage Note
Can be followed by adverbial phrases of place or time. The phrase 'stay put' (informal) means to remain exactly where you are and is often used in commands or instructions.
Common Mistakes
2. to keep existing in a given condition — maintaining the same quality, feeling, o
to keep existing in a given condition — maintaining the same quality, feeling, or appearance over a stretch of time, such as when you stay calm in a crisis or stay friends after a quarrel.
To stay healthy, Nadia eats vegetables with every meal and rides her bicycle to work.
stay + adjective (healthy/fit/warm/etc.)
The soup stayed warm for over an hour because the heavy lid trapped the heat.
Defne tried to stay calm when the power went out right before her exam started.
The weather forecast says the skies will stay clear for the rest of the week.
Please stay seated until the bus has come to a complete stop at the station.
stay + past participle (seated/closed/covered)
- stay calm
- stay healthy
- stay warm
- stay awake
- stay focused
- change
to become different from the current state
Grammar Patterns
stay + adjective
stay + noun phrase
Usage Note
In this sense, 'stay' functions as a linking verb similar to 'remain'. It is most commonly followed by an adjective (stay calm, stay safe, stay warm). It can also be followed by a past participle used as an adjective (stay seated, stay connected). Unlike 'be', it emphasises the idea of continuing an existing state rather than entering a new one.
Common Mistakes
3. to spend a brief period living somewhere — for example, as a temporary visitor a
to spend a brief period living somewhere — for example, as a temporary visitor at a hotel, with relatives, or in a rented apartment away from your normal home.
Christopher stayed at a small hotel near the train station during his trip to Kyoto.
stay at [hotel/accommodation]
Élise stayed with her grandmother in the French countryside for two weeks in April.
stay with [person]
The band stayed in a beautiful cabin by the lake while they performed in the city.
Sana stayed at her cousin's apartment in Tokyo for a month to study Japanese.
- stay at a hotel
- stay with friends
- stay abroad
- stay overnight
Grammar Patterns
stay at [place]
stay with [person]
stay in [city/country]
Usage Note
Use 'stay at' for specific places (hotels, houses, apartments), 'stay with' for people, and 'stay in' for cities or general areas. The period is usually short — days, weeks, or a few months — not years.
Common Mistakes
4. to sleep at someone else's house for a night, typically by invitation as a guest
to sleep at someone else's house for a night, typically by invitation as a guest.
Little Noa asked if she could stay at her best friend's house on Friday evening.
stay at [person's house] for a sleepover
Heather stayed over at Amani's place after the concert finished so late that night.
phrasal: stay over
My brother often stays the night at our parents' house when he visits from work.
stay the night
The children were allowed to stay at the neighbour's house for a sleepover on Saturday.
- stay the night
- stay over
- stay the weekend
- sleep over
more informal; commonly used by children and families
Grammar Patterns
stay the night
stay over
stay at [person's house]
Usage Note
Common expressions include 'stay the night' (sleep at someone's house) and 'stay over' (same meaning, slightly less formal). This sense is distinct from sense 3 in that it specifically implies sleeping overnight, usually at a friend's or family member's home.
Common Mistakes
5. to live in a place as your regular or permanent home, often used when the focus
to live in a place as your regular or permanent home, often used when the focus is on the fact of residing somewhere rather than the act of moving there.
Eleni stays in a small flat near the university campus while she finishes her master's degree.
After retiring from teaching, Antonia decided to stay in the countryside for good.
stay + adverbial of place (for good / permanently)
The Watanabe family stays in a quiet village in the mountains throughout the winter months each year.
Yuki stays with her parents during the summer when the university dormitory is closed.
- stay for good
- stay permanently
- stay with parents
Grammar Patterns
stay + adverbial of place (permanent context)
Usage Note
This sense overlaps with 'live' but is more common in certain British English contexts and in questions about residence ('Where do you stay?'). In American English, 'live' is the standard word for permanent residence. The surrounding context (words like 'permanently', 'for good', 'during the summer') signals the permanent or habitual nature.
6. to stop, delay, or pause the progress of something; especially used in legal con
to stop, delay, or pause the progress of something; especially used in legal contexts to temporarily suspend a court order, or more generally to check or restrain something such as hunger, anger, or a disease.
The judge stayed the execution after the prisoner's lawyer submitted new evidence to the court.
stay [legal process] — formal legal usage
The new treatment helped stay the progression of the lung disease for several months.
stay [the progression of a disease] — medical context
The government stayed the construction of the new highway until the environmental report was complete.
The judge stayed the bank's attempt to take the family's house until their appeal could be heard.
stay [legal process — foreclosure/repossession]
- stay execution
- stay proceedings
- stay hunger
Grammar Patterns
stay [noun phrase]
stay [legal process]
Usage Note
When used in a legal sense, 'stay' means a judge or court orders a temporary stop to a legal process. In general usage (stay hunger, stay anger), this sense is now quite formal and literary — learners are better off using 'stop', 'delay', or 'postpone' in everyday conversation.
Common Mistakes
7. to keep at a difficult job or activity until you have seen it through to the ver
to keep at a difficult job or activity until you have seen it through to the very end — for example, sticking with a long training programme or finishing a tough project.
Despite the heavy rain, the hikers stayed with the trail until they reached the mountain shelter.
stay with [challenging task/activity]
Noa stayed with her studies late into the night, determined to pass the final chemistry exam.
The team stayed the course through months of difficult training before the national competition.
idiom: stay the course
Yuki stayed with the maths problem until she found a solution that everyone could agree on.
- stay the course
- stay with it
- stay with a task
Grammar Patterns
stay with [task/activity]
stay the course
Usage Note
Often used in the fixed phrase 'stay the course' (continue despite difficulties; from horse racing, where a horse 'stays the course' by running the full distance). Also common as 'stay with something' in everyday contexts. Not to be confused with sense 2 (CONTINUE BEING) — this sense focuses on completing a task, not maintaining a state.
stay up
phrasal verbto not go to bed at the usual time; to remain awake past one's normal bedtime.
Eleni stayed up until three in the morning to finish her essay on climate change.
The children were allowed to stay up late on New Year's Eve to watch the fireworks.
stay in
phrasal verbto remain at home rather than going out to social events, work, or other activities.
Defne decided to stay in and read a novel instead of going to the party with her friends.
The whole family stayed in on Sunday because a big typhoon was passing over the island.
stay out
phrasal verbto remain away from home, especially at night or later than expected.
Heather's parents told her not to stay out past eleven o'clock on school nights.
The cat stayed out all night and came back in the morning with muddy paws.
stay over
phrasal verbto sleep at someone else's house for a night; to spend the night as a guest.
Christopher missed the last train home, so he stayed over at Theo's apartment for the night.
Aunt Rosa and Uncle Ben stayed over after the family dinner because the roads were icy.
stay behind
phrasal verbto remain in a place after other people have left it.
Two students stayed behind after class to ask the professor a question about the assignment.
Sana stayed behind to help clean up the kitchen after the dinner party ended.
stay on
phrasal verbto continue working, studying, or living somewhere beyond the originally planned or expected time.
The manager asked Nadia to stay on for another six months until a replacement could be hired.
Several students chose to stay on at university to complete a master's degree in engineering.
stay around
phrasal verbTo remain in a place or situation, often waiting for something.
Aiden decided to stay around after class to ask a question.
Why don't you stay around for dinner?
stay away
phrasal verbTo not go near a place or person, or to avoid something.
The doctor told him to stay away from spicy food.
Please stay away from the edge of the cliff.
stay out of
phrasal verbTo avoid becoming involved in something, especially a disagreement or problem.
Mia decided to stay out of her friends' argument.
You should stay out of trouble while I'm gone.
stay put
idiomto remain in exactly the same place or position, without moving or being moved.
The babysitter told the children to stay put while she went to answer the phone in the kitchen.
The box will stay put if you fasten it with strong tape against the wall.
be here to stay
idiomto be permanent, lasting, or generally accepted as a regular part of life; not just a temporary trend.
Many teachers now believe that online learning tools are here to stay in the classroom.
After years of growth, electric cars appear to be here to stay on the world's roads.
stay the course
idiomto continue doing something until it is finished, despite difficulties or opposition.
The coach urged the players to stay the course even though they were losing by ten points.
Starting a small business takes patience — you have to stay the course through the slow months.
Something that is accepted or used by many people and will continue to exist.
Online shopping is here to stay, according to most experts.
Has the trend of working from home come to stay?
hang/stay loose
idiomTo stay calm and not worry about things.
Maya told herself to hang loose before the exam.
Just stay loose and enjoy the concert tonight.
To be in good physical condition through exercise and healthy habits.
Diego runs every morning to stay in shape.
How often do you exercise to keep in shape?
To avoid a person or thing that might cause trouble.
Sara decided to steer clear of the old bridge.
Keep clear of that dog; it might bite.
stay!
idiomA command used to tell a dog not to move from its position.
The trainer said "Stay!" and the dog froze.
"Stay!" shouted Mia as her puppy started to run.
To avoid a person or thing that might cause problems.
Stay clear of the construction site after dark.
Tom kept clear of his angry boss all morning.
stay your hand
idiomTo stop yourself from doing something, especially when you are about to act.
The king stayed his hand before ordering the attack.
She stayed her hand and did not send the angry email.
stay/hang loose
idiomTo remain calm and not get upset.
Even in traffic jams, Brian tries to stay loose.
Hang loose and everything will work out fine.
stay the night
idiomTo sleep at someone's home for one night.
After the party, Lisa stayed the night at her friend's house.
Can I stay the night at your place?
stay — noun
1. the block of time somebody spends away from their own home, staying at a hotel,
the block of time somebody spends away from their own home, staying at a hotel, hospital, or another person's residence while travelling or receiving care.
Theo enjoyed his stay in Kyoto, especially the temple visits at sunrise each morning.
[possessive] stay in [city/country]
After a short stay in the hospital, Nadia was well enough to go home and rest.
The Park family's stay at the beach resort was cut short by a typhoon warning along the coast.
stay at [accommodation]
During her stay in London, Élise visited the British Museum three times over two weeks.
A long stay in a foreign country helps you learn the language faster than classes at home.
- short stay
- long stay
- hospital stay
- overnight stay
- pleasant stay
- enjoy one's stay
Grammar Patterns
[possessive] stay in/at [place]
a/an [adjective] stay
Usage Note
Typically used with possessive determiners ('my stay', 'their stay') or an article ('a stay', 'the stay'). Common prepositions are 'in' (for cities/countries) and 'at' (for specific accommodations or institutions like hotels, hospitals).
Common Mistakes
2. a judge's or court's order that temporarily stops a legal judgment, execution, o
a judge's or court's order that temporarily stops a legal judgment, execution, or other legal process from being carried out, usually until fresh facts or arguments can be fully reviewed.
The judge granted a stay of execution so that the prisoner's appeal could be properly heard.
stay of [legal process] — standard legal collocation
Lawyers for the company requested a stay of the court's decision until further evidence was reviewed.
The Supreme Court issued a temporary stay that blocked the new law from taking effect immediately.
issue/grant a stay
The appeals court later lifted the stay and allowed the trial to move forward.
lift a stay — common legal collocation
- stay of execution
- stay of proceedings
- grant a stay
- lift a stay
- temporary stay
- suspension
broader meaning; can be legal or non-legal
- postponement
implies it will resume later; less formal than 'stay'
- injunction
a distinct legal order that requires someone to do or not do something
- proceeding
the continuation of a legal process after a stay is lifted
Grammar Patterns
grant a stay
stay of [legal process]
issue a stay
Usage Note
Almost exclusively used in formal legal contexts. The most common collocations are 'stay of execution' (stopping a death sentence or court judgment), 'stay of proceedings' (pausing a trial), and 'grant/issue/request a stay'. In everyday English, use 'postponement' or 'suspension' instead.
3. an official or deliberate pause or stoppage of an activity, process, or movement
an official or deliberate pause or stoppage of an activity, process, or movement.
The city council put a stay on new construction permits until the flood risk study was completed.
put a stay on [official activity/process]
Construction on the new bridge was put under a stay until the safety check finished.
The factory put a temporary stay on all shipments while the faulty batch was checked.
The minister called for a stay on new housing developments until the flood risk was assessed.
stay on [activity] — formal/official context
- put a stay on
- under a stay
- continuation
the act of carrying on after a halt
Grammar Patterns
put a stay on [something]
under a stay
Usage Note
This sense is formal and somewhat literary. In everyday English, 'stop', 'pause', or 'halt' are much more common. Learners should recognise this meaning in reading but are unlikely to need it actively.
Word family
- stayingadjectiveB1
- stay-at-homeadjectiveB2
- stayernounC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
All four words involve being in a place or state, but they differ in purpose and duration. REMAIN is the closest formal synonym to 'stay' in sense 1; it emphasises continuing existence in a place or condition ('She remained at her desk after the meeting ended') and is more common in written than spoken English. WAIT specifically implies staying in a place because you expect something to happen ('He waited at the bus stop for twenty minutes') — it carries a sense of anticipation that 'stay' does not. LINGER suggests staying longer than expected or necessary, often out of reluctance or enjoyment ('The children lingered at the playground long after dark'). SETTLE shifts the meaning toward permanence: it means to establish a home in a place ('The family settled in a small town in the south'), which is quite different from the basic 'remain where you are' meaning of 'stay'. For everyday use, choose 'stay' when you simply mean not leaving, 'remain' for more formal contexts, 'wait' when you expect something, and 'linger' when you want to emphasise staying past the expected time.
Common collocations
Etymology
The word 'stay' comes from two historical roots that later blended together. The main root is from Old French 'ester' (to stand, to be in a place), which comes from Latin 'stare' (to stand). This root gives us the meanings of remaining in one place or continuing in a state. A second root is from Latin 'stāmen' (a thread or support), which entered English through Old French 'estaie' (a prop or support) — this explains the formal meaning of stopping or delaying something (as if putting a support against it to hold it back). The two roots merged in Middle English, creating the modern word that covers both 'remain where you are' and 'halt the progress of'.