How long did you stay?
Source: tatoeba (1373)
Stay
/steɪ/
Synonyms for "stay" (705 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (141)
abandonabeyanceabideabortadhereadjournadvocateaeroplaneafford supportafterthoughtagglomerateairplanealpenstockamnestyanchorarmarrestarrestationathletic supporteravert
Show 98 more words
awaitbackback upbackbonebackingbackpedalbackwaterbandeaubarbasebe stillbearbear upbearerbearing reinbelaybellberthbidebide the issuebillet atbindbitbivouacblockblock upblockadeblockageblow the whistlebolsterbolster upbottombrabracebracerbracketbrakebrassierebreakbreathbreatherbreathing placebreathing spacebreathing spellbreathing timebring tobring up shortbunchbungbunkbuoy upbureaucratic delayburrowbuttresscablecaesuracampcancelcanecarriercarrycarry oncaulkceasecease firecease notcease-firecervixchaincheckcheckmatecheckreinchinkchockchokechoke offchoke upcigarette breakclaspcleaveclinchclingcling toclip the wingsclogclog upclotclustercoagulatecoastcocktail hourcoffee breakcohabitcoherecolonizecolumncome to anchorconfine
Strong matches (212)
congealcongestconglomerateconstipatecontinuecontinue to becorkcorseletcorsetcountercheckcovercradlecrookcrutchcurbcurb bitcushioncut it outcut shortcutoff
Show 171 more words
dallydamdam updamperdawdleday offdead stopdeadlockdebarmentdeceleratedefeat timedeferdefermentdeferraldefy timedelaydelayagedelayed reactiondependdesistdetaindetentiondeterdetermentdeterrencedillydallydiscontinuancediscontinuationdiscontinuediscouragediscouragementdomesticatedomiciledomiciliatedoorstopdoss downdouble takedowntimedragdrag ondrag outdrag saildraggingdraw reindrift anchordrift saildroguedropdrop anchordrop itdwellease offease upembraceendendgameendingendureenforced respiteensconceestablishestablish residenceestoppelexemptionexistextendfetterfillfill upfinal whistlefoilforbiddanceforeclosureforestallingforestayfoulfoundfoundation garmentfreezefreeze tofulcrumfull stopgirdgirdlegive overgive supportgo alonggo ongraspgrinding haltgroundgrow togethergunguyguywirehalthamperhanghang abouthang aroundhang firehang onhang outhang togetherhang uphang-uphappy hourhave done withhesitationhinderhindrancehiveholdhold backhold everythinghold in checkhold offhold onhold outhold overhold steadyhold togetherhold uphold your horsesholdbackholdupholidayhugimmunityimpedeimpunityindemnityinhabitinteriminterludeintermezzointermissionintermitintermittenceinterruptinterruptionintervaljamjockjockstrapjog onkeepkeep afloatkeep backkeep goingkeep housekeep onkeep quietkeep upknock it offlaglagginglapselastlast longlast outlay asidelay bylay offlay overlayofflayoverleave offlend supportlet downlet up
Adjective(1 words)
Related words (352)
letuplie stilllinelingerlivelive atlive onlive throughlocatelockoutlodgelogjamloiterlose groundlose momentumlose speedlullmainstaymaintainmaintainer
Show 263 more words
make latemark timemartingalemassmastmoderatemoormoratoriummovenecknestnever ceasenip in the budnolle prosequinon prosequiturnonprosecutionnot breathenot stirobstipateobstructobstructionobviationoccupypackpaperasserieparkpartspausepelhampeopleperchperdureperennatepersistpigeonholepillowplugplug uppopulatepostpostponepostponementpreclusionpredicateprevailpreventpreventionprocrastinateprohibitionprolongpropprorogateprorogueprotractprotractionpull uppush asideput asideput offput on iceput paid toquitrecessred tapered-tapeismred-taperyreefrefrainreinrein inreinforcereinforcementreinforcerrelaxrelinquishrelocateremainremain motionlessremissionremitremorarenouncereposereprievereserveresiderespiterestresting placeretardretardanceretardationriggingroomroostroperunrun onscotchscrubsea anchorsecuresetset asideset backset byset up housekeepingset up shopsettlesettle downshackleshelveshift offshoreshore upshouldershroudsit downsit down strikesit tightsit upsit up forsit-down strikeslack offslack upslackensleep onslog onslowslow downslow upslow-upslowdownslownesssnafflesojournsojournmentsolidifyspellspilespinespokespritsquatstaffstagger onstalematestallstanchstandstand downstand faststand firmstand overstand stillstand-downstanding riggingstandoffstandstillstavestave offstay atstay of executionstay onstay overstay putstay upstay up forstayoverstaysstemstem the tidestenchstickstick aroundstick faststick togetherstiffenerstillstandstopstop coldstop deadstop overstop shortstop upstop-offstopoverstoppagestopperstoppingstopplestrengthenstrengthenerstretch outstrikestrike rootstuffstuff upstymiesubsidizesubsistsubventionsupportsupportersurceasesurvivesuspendsuspensionsustainsustainersweatsweat it outsweat outtabletake a recesstake hold oftake in sailtake residence attake roottake timetake up residencetarrytea breaktenantterminatethrottlethrottle downthwarttide overtie uptie-uptime lagtime outtrammeltread watertruceunderbraceundergirdunderlieunderpinunderpinningundersetupbearupholdupholderupkeepvacationvisitwaitwait a minutewait and seewait forwait onwait up forwaivewalking stickwalkoutwardwatchwatch and waitwearwear wellwork stoppage
Noun(35 words)
Verb(29 words)
Determiner(2 words)
no motion changesome remain
Adverb(1 words)
Adjective(2 words)
remainingunchanged size
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: halt, remain, abandon, abeyance, abide.
- Sentence evidence is available for stay, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, wiktionary, moby, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "stay".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "stay"
Keep "stay" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "stay" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "stay", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "stay" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
50 entriesShowing 16 of 50 words.
More specific
16 entriesCollocations
12 entriesextended stayhotel staylong stayovernight stayshort staystay after schoolstay at homestay awakestay calmstay focusedstay the coursetemporary stay
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
2 entriesAntonyms
3 entriesSample sentences
81 total sentences available.
I'm sorry, I can't stay long.
Source: tatoeba (1541)
I'd like to stay for one night.
Source: tatoeba (1660)
I have so much work that I will stay for one more hour.
Source: tatoeba (1757)
Showing 4 of 81 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "stay"?
Closest matches include halt, remain, abandon, abeyance, abide.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "stay"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.