stay
stay Lexical Profile
stay Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To remain in the same place without leaving or moving away.
"Please stay right where you are until the guide returns with the tickets."
To continue to be in a particular state, condition, or position.
"The library will stay open until midnight during the final examination period."
To live or reside temporarily in a place as a visitor or guest.
"They plan to stay with relatives in Toronto for a few days before heading home."
To stop, delay, or postpone an action, legal proceeding, or judgment.
"The appellate judge agreed to stay the ruling until all constitutional questions were reviewed."
To support, prop up, or secure a structure or mast with cables or braces.
"The engineers used heavy steel cables to stay the tall transmission tower against high winds."
• noun
A period of living or residing in a place temporarily as a visitor or guest.
"We enjoyed a pleasant two-week stay at a quiet cottage near the coast."
A suspension, postponement, or halting of a judicial proceeding or the execution of a legal judgment.
"The defense attorney filed an emergency motion requesting a stay of execution pending the appeal."
A strong rope, wire, or rod used to support a ship's mast, a structural brace, or a strip of stiff material used to stiffen a garment collar or corset.
"The crew inspected the steel stays supporting the mainmast before sailing into open water."
• Rhymes for stay
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
The verb regarding remaining in place derives from Anglo-French 'estaier' and Old French 'ester', ultimately from Latin 'stare' (to stand). The nautical sense meaning a supporting rope or cable comes separately from Old English 'stæg', of Germanic origin.