Definition of Stay
Stay
stay
Definition/Meaning
(verb)
to continue to be in a place or state of being, to remain there instead of going away or changing;
e.g. I told him to stay there until I came back. He was unable to stay sad as they made jokes.
(verb)
to stop making forward progress, often figuratively as to remain in a place or continue to be in a condition;
e.g. We wanted to stay for dinner, but we had somewhere else to be. She wished that her pet would stay a kitten forever.
(verb)
to live somewhere, usually temporarily as a guest or visitor;
e.g. They plan to stay in a hotel while they are visiting the city.
(verb)
(literary) to provide support and/or stability to something using a structure made of material such as rods, beams, or wires;
e.g. He used a strong wire mesh to stay the crumbling structure until he had time to repair it.
(noun)
a period of time for which someone lives in a particular place, usually temporarily as a guest or visitor;
e.g. She enjoyed her stay at the resort so much that she plans to go back there next year.
(noun)
broadly, something that provides support and/or stability, especially (historical) a type of corset that contains pieces of bone that lace together (usually used as "stays");
e.g. The maid helped her put on her stays and then her dress.
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