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stays
UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/steɪz/
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
stays /steɪz/ pl n - rare corsets with bones in them
stays /steɪz/ pl n - a position of a sailing vessel relative to the wind so that the sails are luffing or aback
- miss stays, refuse stays ⇒ (of a sailing vessel) to fail to come about
stay1 /steɪ/USA pronunciation
v., stayed, or staid, stay•ing,
- to remain over a length of time, as in a place or situation:[no object]The children wanted to stay up late.
- to dwell for a while;
reside;
lodge:[no object]to stay at a friend's apartment.
- to pause briefly:[no object]Stay inside until the taxi comes.
- to remain as;
go on being: [~ + adjective][usually not: be + ~-ing]Try to stay calm.[~ + noun]How long will he stay governor if he keeps making such mistakes?
- to hold out or endure to the end, as in a contest, difficult task, etc.: [no object]If you stay with the project you'll have a good chance of finishing it.[~ + object]We need someone who will stay the course and not quit.
- to stop or halt:[~ + object]He stayed his hand before striking the child.
n. [countable]
- the act of stopping or being stopped.
- a period of temporarily living somewhere:a week's stay in Miami.
- Lawa temporary stopping of a judicial proceeding:a stay of execution.
Idioms
- Idioms stay put, [no object] to remain in the same position or place:Now stay put until I come back to get you.
stay2 /steɪ/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
- Buildingsomething used to support or steady a thing;
a prop;
brace.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026stay1 (stā),USA pronunciation
v.i. - to spend some time in a place, in a situation, with a person or group, etc.:He stayed in the army for ten years.
- to continue to be as specified, as to condition or state:to stay clean.
- to hold out or endure, as in a contest or task (fol. by with or at):Please stay with the project as long as you can.
- to keep up, as with a competitor (fol. by with).
- Games[Poker.]to continue in a hand by matching an ante, bet, or raise.
- to stop or halt.
- to pause or wait, as for a moment, before proceeding or continuing;
linger or tarry.
- [Archaic.]to cease or desist.
- [Archaic.]to stand firm.
v.t. - to stop or halt.
- to hold back, detain, or restrain, as from going further.
- to suspend or delay (actions, proceedings, etc.).
- to appease or satisfy temporarily the cravings of (the stomach, appetite, etc.).
- to remain through or during (a period of time):We stayed two days in San Francisco.
- to remain to the end of;
remain beyond (usually fol. by out).
- [Archaic.]to await.
- stay the course, to persevere;
endure to completion.
n. - the act of stopping or being stopped.
- a stop, halt, or pause;
a standstill.
- a sojourn or temporary residence:a week's stay in Miami.
- Lawa stoppage or arrest of action;
suspension of a judicial proceeding:The governor granted a stay of execution.
- [Informal.]staying power;
endurance.
- Latin stāre to stand
- Anglo-French estaier, Old French estai-, stem of ester
- late Middle English staien 1400–50
- Buildingsomething used to support or steady a thing;
prop;
brace.
- Clothinga flat strip of steel, plastic, etc., used esp. for stiffening corsets, collars, etc.
- Buildinga long rod running between opposite walls, heads or sides of a furnace, boiler, tank, or the like, to strengthen them against internal pressures.
- Clothing, British Terms, British Terms stays, [Chiefly Brit.]a corset.
v.t. - to support, prop, or hold up (sometimes fol. by up).
- to sustain or strengthen mentally or spiritually.
- to rest on (something, as a foundation or base) for support.
- to cause something to become fixed or to rest on (a support, foundation, base, etc.)
- apparently same as stay3 (compare Old French estayer to hold in place, support, perh. derivative of Middle English steye stay3) 1505–15
- Nautical, Naval Termsany of various strong ropes or wires for steadying masts, funnels, etc.
- Nautical, Naval Terms in stays, (of a fore-and-aft-rigged vessel) heading into the wind with sails shaking, as in coming about.
v.t. - Nautical, Naval Termsto support or secure with a stay or stays:to stay a mast.
- Nautical, Naval Termsto put (a ship) on the other tack.
v.i. - Nautical, Naval Terms(of a ship) to change to the other tack.
- bef. 1150; Middle English stey(e), Old English stæg; cognate with German Stag
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
stay /steɪ/ vb - (intransitive) to continue or remain in a certain place, position, etc: to stay outside
- (copula) to continue to be; remain: to stay awake
- (intransitive) often followed by at: to reside temporarily, esp as a guest: to stay at a hotel
- (transitive) to remain for a specified period: to stay the weekend
- (intransitive) Scot South African to reside permanently or habitually; live
- archaic to stop or cause to stop
- (intransitive) to wait, pause, or tarry
- (transitive) to delay or hinder
- (transitive)
- to discontinue or suspend (a judicial proceeding)
- to hold in abeyance or restrain from enforcing (an order, decree, etc)
- to endure (something testing or difficult, such as a race): a horse that stays the course
- (transitive) to hold back or restrain: to stay one's anger
- (transitive) to satisfy or appease (an appetite, etc) temporarily
- stay put ⇒
n - the act of staying or sojourning in a place or the period during which one stays
- the act of stopping or restraining or state of being stopped, etc
- the suspension of a judicial proceeding, etc: stay of execution
Etymology: 15th Century staien, from Anglo-French estaier, to stay, from Old French ester to stay, from Latin stāre to stand stay /steɪ/ n - anything that supports or steadies, such as a prop or buttress
- a thin strip of metal, plastic, bone, etc, used to stiffen corsets, etc
vb (transitive) archaic - (often followed by up) to prop or hold
- (often followed by up) to comfort or sustain
- followed by on or upon: to cause to rely or depend
Etymology: 16th Century: from Old French estaye, of Germanic origin; compare stay3 stay /steɪ/ n - a rope, cable, or chain, usually one of a set, used for bracing uprights, such as masts, funnels, flagpoles, chimneys, etc; guy
Etymology: Old English stæg; related to Old Norse stag, Middle Low German stach, Norwegian stagle wooden post
'stays' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
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