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v. stayed, stay·ing, stays v.intr. 1. a. To continue to be in a place or condition: stay home; stay calm. b. To remain or sojourn as a guest or lodger: stayed at a motel. c. To linger or wait in order to do or experience something: We stayed to watch the final minutes of the game. 2. a. To continue or persist in an action or activity: stayed with the original plan; stayed in college. b. To keep up in a race or contest: tried to stay with the lead runner. 3. Games To meet a bet in poker without raising it. 4. Archaic To stop moving or stop doing something. v.tr. 1. To remain during: stayed the week with my parents; stayed the duration of the game. 2. a. To stop or restrain; check: Doubt stayed his hand. b. To suspend by legal order the implementation of (a planned action), especially pending further proceedings: stay a prisoner's execution. 3. To satisfy or appease temporarily: stayed his anger. 4. Archaic To wait for; await: "I will not stay thy questions. Let me go; / Or if thou follow me, do not believe / But I shall do thee mischief in the wood" (Shakespeare). n. Phrasal Verb: 1. A brief period of residence or visiting. 2. Law a. The order by which a planned action is stayed. b. The consequence of such an order. 3. Archaic a. The act of halting; check. b. The act of coming to a halt. stay up Idioms: To remain awake past one's usual bedtime; not go to bed. stay put To remain in a fixed or established position. stay the course To hold out or persevere to the end of a race or challenge. stay with (one) To remain in one's memory; not be forgotten: That kind of compliment stays with you for years. [Middle English steien, from Old French ester, esteir, from Latin stāre; see stā- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] Synonyms: stay1, linger, remain, tarry1, wait These verbs mean to continue to be in a given place: stayed in bed until noon; lingered at the mall for an entire afternoon; remained on the subway until the very last stop; tarried in the hallway until he was late for class; waited for the movie credits to end before she left the theater. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
