Synonyms of stay in English

: stay¹ stay²

stay¹

See US English definition of stay

See UK English definition of stay

See Spanish definition of vivir

verb

1‘the man told her to stay where she was’

SYNONYMS

remain, remain behind, stay behind, stay put

wait, wait around, linger, stick, continue, be left, hold on, hang on, lodge, rest, delay, pause, stop

informal hang around, hang round, hang about

archaic bide, tarry

ANTONYMS

leave

2‘we can't stay hidden any longer’

SYNONYMS

continue to be, remain, keep, continue, persist in being, carry on being, go on being, rest

3‘the girls have come to stay with us’

SYNONYMS

visit

spend some time, put up, stop, stop off, stop over, break one's journey

lodge, room, board, have rooms, be housed, be accommodated, be quartered, be billeted

take up residence, take a room, settle

British holiday

North American vacation

North American informal vacay

formal sojourn

archaic bide, abide

4‘legal proceedings in such cases would be either stayed or dropped completely’

SYNONYMS

postpone, put off, delay, defer, put back, hold off, hold over, carry over, reschedule, do later, shelve, stand over, pigeonhole, hold in abeyance, put in abeyance, mothball

adjourn, suspend, prorogue

put off the evil day, put off the evil hour

North American put over, table, lay on the table, take a rain check on

North American Law continue

informal put on ice, put on the back burner, put in cold storage

rare remit, respite

ANTONYMS

advance

5‘he tries to stay the progress of barbarism’

SYNONYMS

delay, slow down, slow up, hold back, set back, keep back, hold up, postpone, put back, detain, decelerate, put a brake on, retard

hinder, hamper, obstruct, inhibit, impede, handicap, hamstring, curb, check, restrain, restrict, arrest, interfere with, interrupt, encumber, clog

British informal throw a spanner in the works of

North American informal throw a monkey wrench in the works of

rare trammel, cumber

ANTONYMS

promote