stay (stays 3rd person present) (staying present participle) (stayed past tense & past participle )
1 verb If you stay where you are, you continue to be there and do not leave.
`Stay here,' Trish said. `I'll bring the car down the drive to take you back.'... V adv/prep
In the old days the woman stayed at home and the man earned the money. V adv/prep
2 verb If you stay in a town, or hotel, or at someone's house, you live there for a short time.
Gordon stayed at The Park Hotel, Milan... V prep/adv
He tried to stay a few months every year in Scotland. V n
Stay is also a noun., n-count usu supp N
An experienced Indian guide is provided during your stay.
3 v-link If someone or something stays in a particular state or situation, they continue to be in it.
(=remain)
The Republican candidate said he would `work like crazy to stay ahead'. V adv/prep
...community care networks that offer classes on how to stay healthy... V adj
4 verb If you stayaway from a place, you do not go there.
(=keep)
Government employers and officers also stayed away from work during the strike... V away from n
Every single employee turned up at the meeting, even people who usually stayed away. V away
5 verb If you stay out of something, you do not get involved in it.
In the past, the UN has stayed out of the internal affairs of countries unless invited in... V out of n
6 If you stay put, you remain somewhere.
stay put phrase V inflects
Nigel says for the moment he is very happy to stay put in Lyon.
7 If you stay the night in a place, you sleep there for one night.
stay the night phrase V inflects They had invited me to come to supper and stay the night. stay in phrasal verb If you stay in during the evening, you remain at home and do not go out.,
(Antonym: go out)
Before we had our child the idea of staying in every night would have been horrific. V P stay on phrasal verb If you stay on somewhere, you remain there after other people have left or after the time when you were going to leave. He had managed to arrange to stay on in Adelaide... V P So few teenage Britons stay on at school, compared with the rest of Europe... V P stay out phrasal verb If you stay out at night, you remain away from home, especially when you are expected to be there.,
(Antonym: stay in)
That was the first time Elliot stayed out all night... V P stay up phrasal verb If you stay up, you remain out of bed at a time when most people have gone to bed or at a time when you are normally in bed yourself. I used to stay up late with my mom and watch movies. V P adv/prep
stay-at-home (stay-at-homes plural )If you describe someone as a stay-at-home, you mean that they stay at home rather than going out to work or travelling. n-count usu N n
I was a stay-at-home mum until 1980 when my husband lost his job.
stay of execution (stays of execution plural )If you are given a stay of execution, you are legally allowed to delay obeying an order of a court of law. (LEGAL) n-count
