- (v.i.) To come to an end; to cease; as, that day the storm stayed.
- (v.i.) To tack, as a vessel, so that the other side of the vessel shall be presented to the wind.
- (v.i.) To continue in a state.
- (n.) Hindrance; let; check.
- (v.i.) To bear up under; to endure; to support; to resist successfully.
- (v.i.) To support from sinking; to sustain with strength; to satisfy in part or for the time.
- (v.i.) To remain for the purpose of; to wait for.
- (n.) That which serves as a prop; a support.
- (v.i.) To fasten or secure with stays; as, to stay a flat sheet in a steam boiler.
- (v.i.) To change tack; as a ship.
- (v.i.) To rest; to depend; to rely; to stand; to insist.
- (v.i.) To remain; to continue in a place; to abide fixed for a space of time; to stop; to stand still.
- (n.) Restraint of passion; moderation; caution; steadiness; sobriety.
- (v.i.) To stop from motion or falling; to prop; to fix firmly; to hold up; to support.
- (v.i.) To wait; to attend; to forbear to act.
- (n.) Continuance in a place; abode for a space of time; sojourn; as, you make a short stay in this city.
- (n.) Cessation of motion or progression; stand; stop.
- (v.i.) To hinde/; to delay; to detain; to keep back.
- (n.) Strictly, a part in tension to hold the parts together or stiffen them.
- (v.i.) To hold out in a race or other contest; as, a horse stays well.
- (n.) A large, strong rope, employed to support a mast, by being extended from the head of one mast down to some other or to some part of the vessel. Those which lead forward are called fore-and-aft stays; those which lead to the vessel's side are called backstays. See Illust. of Ship.
- (v.i.) To dwell; to tarry; to linger.
- (v.i.) To hold from proceeding; to withhold; to restrain; to stop; to hold.
- (v.i.) To cause to cease; to put an end to.
- (n.) A corset stiffened with whalebone or other material, worn by women, and rarely by men.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). stay. Retrieved September 25, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/stay/definitions/2066077 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "stay" http://smartdefine.org/stay/definitions/2066077 (accessed September 25, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, stay, Smart Define, viewed 25 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/stay/definitions/2066077>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "stay" 28 May 2011. Web. 25 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/stay/definitions/2066077> |