stay
verb /steɪ/
/steɪ/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they stay | /steɪ/ /steɪ/ |
| he / she / it stays | /steɪz/ /steɪz/ |
| past simple stayed | /steɪd/ /steɪd/ |
| past participle stayed | /steɪd/ /steɪd/ |
| -ing form staying | /ˈsteɪɪŋ/ /ˈsteɪɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive] to continue to be in a particular place for a period of time without moving away
- + adv./prep. Stay there and don't move!
- I just want to stay in bed today.
- She stayed at home (= did not go out to work) while the children were young.
- (North American English also) to stay home
- We ended up staying for dinner.
- People are being advised to stay indoors.
- Can you stay behind after the others have gone and help me clear up?
- I'm staying late at the office tonight.
- My hat won't stay on!
- I can't stay long.
- I can stay a few minutes longer.
- I can stay for a few more minutes.
- ‘Do you want a drink?’ ‘No, thanks, I can't stay.’
- stay to do something We stayed to see what would happen.
- stay doing something They stayed talking until well into the night.
Extra Examples- Alex stayed behind when the others had gone.
- Stay here while I go find out what's happening.
- She asked everyone else to leave the room but I was allowed to stay.
- Many students choose to stay after graduating and find jobs in the area.
- He preferred to stay at home and watch TV.
- I was allowed to stay home from school because I was sick.
- She stays in her room most of the time.
- We liked the city so much we decided to stay there.
- I had no more reason to stay in California.
- Complications could arise which require you to stay in hospital.
- We can't stay here indefinitely.
- ‘Stay with me!’ he pleaded.
- Why don't you stay for the rest of the day?
- I'm going to stay until tomorrow.
- Afterwards he stayed to chat and sign autographs.
- I didn't stay to watch the rest of the show.
- He stayed watching for a while, then went home.
- I'd love to stay chatting but I must go.
- I'd love to stay and chat but I must go.
- We encourage people to stay and have drinks after the movie.
- Do you run away or stay and fight?
- The ducklings stay close to their mother.
- The camera stays on her face throughout the scene.
- I dropped a sandwich on the floor and it stayed there all week.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- behind
- on
- on
- …
- allow somebody to
- can
- manage to
- …
- at
- in
- on
- …
- a place to stay
- a reason to stay
- stay and chat, help, etc.
- …
- [intransitive] to live in a place temporarily as a guest or visitor
- My sister's coming to stay next week.
- She's working here for two weeks and needs a place to stay.
- + adv./prep. We found out we were staying in the same hotel.
- He's staying with friends this weekend.
- I missed the last bus and had to stay overnight.
- + noun I stayed three nights at my cousin's house.
Extra ExamplesTopics Holidaysa1- She's staying with her sister.
- We had an exchange student staying with us.
- We've got friends coming to stay.
- You can't stay here. We don't have a spare room.
- Where will you be staying while you're in Scotland?
- How long are you staying?
- We're staying a week in the mountains and a week by the coast.
- I'm staying at a hotel near the beach.
- I went to stay at their house in the country.
- It's one of the best places to stay in town.
- We can give you tips about where to stay and what to see.
- A young couple was staying in the room next door.
- He stayed for over a week.
- He invited her to stay for a while.
- We had friends staying for the weekend.
- Come and stay any time!
- He needs somewhere to stay.
- They haven't got anywhere to stay.
- Won't you let me stay?
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- behind
- on
- on
- …
- allow somebody to
- can
- manage to
- …
- at
- in
- on
- …
- a place to stay
- a reason to stay
- stay and chat, help, etc.
- …
- [intransitive] to continue to be in a particular state or situation synonym remain
- + adj. I can't stay awake any longer.
- The store stays open late on Thursdays.
- to stay healthy/alive/calm/silent/safe
- He never stays angry for long.
- Stay tuned (= used to ask people to continue listening to or watching a particular programme on the radio or television).
- + adv./prep. I don't know why they stay together (= remain married or in a relationship).
- Inflation stayed below 4 per cent last month.
- We said goodbye and promised to stay in touch.
- She did not want to stay in nursing all her life.
- The TV stays on all day in their house.
- + noun We promised to stay friends for ever.
- stay doing something She wanted to stay working in the pub.
Extra Examples- Humans need minerals to stay healthy.
- How do you stay calm under pressure?
- It's important children learn how to stay safe online.
- At the moment, it's all fine. Let's hope it stays that way!
- The script manages to stay fresh and funny through 25 episodes.
- You will have to continue to change and grow if you want to stay competitive.
- Somehow the company managed to stay afloat.
- People want to stay fit as they age.
- She has stayed true to her principles.
- Organizations invest vast amounts to stay ahead in the race for information.
- advice on how to stay positive during hard times
- I was told to stay quiet.
- He can't stay still for five minutes.
- I was so tired I could hardly stay upright.
- I've tried hard to stay strong through all this.
- She managed to stay cool during the meeting.
- Lost and so far from other human life, he faced a desperate struggle to stay alive.
- She wanted a drink but she had to stay sober.
- Email is a great way to stay in touch with friends.
- He managed to stay in power for almost 15 years.
- It's now quite unusual to stay in the same job your whole working life.
- The tax cuts will stay in place for two more years.
- financial help for parents to stay at home with their children
- Many small shops are struggling to stay in business.
- the battle to stay on top
- His big brother used to help him stay out of trouble.
- I tried to stay out of sight.
- It stayed cloudy for most of the day.
- Let's hope it stays fine for the wedding this afternoon.
- I try to stay on top of musical trends.
- The project manager makes sure the project stays on track.
- He planned to stay a virgin until he was married.
- Don't click on the image if you want it to stay the same size.
- You can't stay living with your parents forever.
- I stayed hiding until he left.
Word Originverb late Middle English (as a verb): from Anglo-Norman French estai-, stem of Old French ester, from Latin stare ‘to stand’.
Idioms
be here to stay | have come to stay
- to now be accepted or used by most people and therefore a permanent part of our lives
- It looks like televised trials are here to stay.
hang/stay loose
- (especially North American English, informal) to remain calm; to not worry
- It's OK—hang loose and stay cool.
(get/keep/stay) in shape
- (of a person) (to get/stay) in good physical condition
- You don't have to spend a fortune on gym membership to get in shape.
- I like to stay in shape.
keep/stay/steer clear (of somebody/something)
- to avoid a person or thing because they may cause problems
- Steer clear of the centre of town at this time of the evening.
stay!
- used to tell a dog not to move
stay/steer/keep clear (of somebody/something)
- to avoid a person or thing because they may cause problems
- Stay clear of the centre of town at this time of the evening.
stay the course
- to continue doing something until it has finished or been completed, even though it is difficult
- Very few of the trainees have stayed the course.
- He insists that he will not quit but will stay the course.
stay your hand
- (old-fashioned or literary) to stop yourself from doing something; to prevent you from doing something
- It was prudence, not logic, that stayed his hand.
stay/hang loose
- (informal, especially North American English) to remain calm; to not worry
- It's OK—stay loose and just enjoy yourselves.
stay the night
- (especially British English) to sleep at somebody’s house for one night
- You can always stay the night at our house.
- She stayed the night at Kathryn's.
stay put
- (informal) if somebody/something stays put, they continue to be in the place where they are or where they have been put
- He chose to stay put while the rest of us toured the area.