stay

/steɪ/
verbBeginner
general

to remain in a place or situation

He stayed at home during the weekend.

He remained at home during the weekend.

The guests stayed for dinner.

The guests remained for dinner.

💡

Can be used with prepositions like 'at', 'in', or 'with'.

general

to continue in a particular state or condition

She stayed calm under pressure.

She remained calm under pressure.

The weather stayed warm all week.

The weather remained warm all week.

💡

Often used to describe maintaining a state or condition.

general

to stop and live in a place

They decided to stay in the countryside.

They chose to live in the countryside.

He stayed in Paris for a year.

He lived in Paris for a year.

💡

Used when referring to living somewhere for a period of time.

Collocations

stay at hometo remain in one's homestay in touchto maintain contact with someonestay up lateto remain awake until late at night

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Phrases

stay putphrase
to remain in one place
stay the coursephrase
to continue with a plan or course of action

💡Pro Tip

Prepositions

Use 'stay at' for a place like a house or hotel, 'stay in' for a city or country, and 'stay with' for a person.

Gold Rule

Verb vs. Noun

'Stay' can be a verb (to remain) or a noun (a period of time spent somewhere).

📖Word Origin

From Middle English 'stayen', from Old French 'ester', from Latin 'stare' meaning 'to stand'.

📝Usage Notes

Can be used as a noun (e.g., 'a short stay') or a verb (e.g., 'to stay').

Word Breakdown

stay
to remain
root
English Dictionary