stay meaning

stay means 'to remain in a place or condition'.

stay :

a period of staying in a place

noun

▪ We had a pleasant stay at the hotel.

▪ We had a nice time at the hotel.

▪ The stay was longer than expected.

▪ The time was longer than expected.

paraphrasing

▪ visit – stay

▪ duration – stay

stay

stay :

to remain in a place or condition

verb

▪ She decided to stay overnight.

▪ She decided to remain overnight.

▪ They will stay at the office late.

▪ They will remain at the office late.

paraphrasing

▪ remain – stay

▪ continue – stay

▪ hold – stay

Pronunciation

stay [steɪ]

The word is pronounced 'stay'.

stay [steɪ]

The word is pronounced 'stay'.

Common phrases and grammar about stay

stay - Common meaning

noun
a period of staying in a place
verb
to remain in a place or condition

Part of Speech Changes for "stay"

▪ stayer (noun) – someone who stays

Common Expressions with "stay"

▪ stay at home – remain in your house

▪ stay overnight – remain for the night

▪ stay safe – maintain safety

▪ stay on – continue to be in a position



Important examples of stay in TOEIC

Vocabulary examples from the TOEIC test

In TOEIC vocabulary questions, stay is often used to refer to remaining at a place for a period, such as a hotel stay.

▪Please confirm your stay at the hotel has been registered.
▪Please confirm your time at the hotel has been recorded.

Example of a confusing word: delay (to postpone)

▪Please confirm your delay at the hotel has been registered.
▪Please confirm your postponement at the hotel has been recorded.
"Stay" is a noun in this context, referring to the duration of time someone remains at a location, like a hotel. The sentence "Please confirm your stay at the hotel has been registered" is grammatically correct and natural. "Delay," on the other hand, is a verb or noun meaning "to postpone" or "a period of waiting," and it does not fit in this context. Saying "your delay at the hotel" implies a postponement, which is not the intended meaning here. Therefore, "stay" is the correct choice.

Grammar examples from the TOEIC test

In TOEIC grammar questions, stay is used as an intransitive verb, often requiring no object.

▪They decided to stay for another night.
▪They decided to remain for another night.

stay

Idioms and fixed expressions in TOEIC

stay at home

means to remain in your house

▪Due to the weather, we had to stay at home.
▪Due to the weather, we had to remain inside our house.

stay on

means to continue in a particular state

▪Please stay on until the meeting is over.
▪Please continue until the meeting is over.

Differences between similar words and stay

stay

,

remain

differences

Stay is used to indicate remaining in a place; remain is more formal and can imply staying in a particular state.

stay
▪She decided to stay at the hotel.
▪She decided to remain at the hotel.
remain
▪continue

Stay means to remain in a specific place, while continue is to carry on with an action or process.

stay
▪They decided to stay until evening.
▪They carried on their work until evening.
▪They continued their work until evening.
▪They carried on their work until evening.

Words with the same origin as stay

The origin of stay

stay originated from the Old French verb 'estayer', meaning to remain or support.

Word structure

The analysis of the word's composition is unclear.

Words with the same origin

The word's root is unclear or difficult to confirm.

Please select an image in the quiz

Quiz

question

Your score is

Previous post and next post

frozen

frozen

684
▪frozen food
▪frozen lake
adjective ┃
Views 3
frozen

frozen

684
very cold, turned into ice
▪frozen food – food that is ice
▪frozen lake – a lake that is ice
adjective ┃
Views 3
stay

stay

685
▪stay at home
▪stay overnight
current
post
noun ┃
verb ┃
Views 5
stay

stay

685
a period of staying in a place
▪stay at home – remain in your house
▪stay overnight – remain for the night
noun ┃
verb ┃
Views 5
courtyard

courtyard

686
▪enter the courtyard
▪sit in the courtyard
noun ┃
Views 0
courtyard

courtyard

686
open area, garden
▪enter the courtyard – go into the open area
▪sit in the courtyard – be seated in the open area
noun ┃
Views 0
tourist

tourist

687
▪tourist attraction
▪tourist area
noun ┃
Views 3
tourist

tourist

687
traveler, visitor
▪tourist attraction – a place that tourists visit
▪tourist area – a region frequented by tourists
noun ┃
Views 3
canceled

canceled

688
▪canceled flight
▪canceled order
adjective ┃
verb ┃
Views 4
canceled

canceled

688
stopped, called off
▪canceled flight – a flight that is stopped
▪canceled order – an order that is stopped
adjective ┃
verb ┃
Views 4
Same category words
hotel, accommodation

stay

a period of staying in a place
current post
685

reserve

19

stay

685

hospitality

417

lodge

957
TOEIC_Vocabulary_List_PDF_PC
TOEIC_Vocabulary_List_PDF_Mobile

View All TOEIC PDFs

Visitors & Members
5+