continuing or remaining in a place or state; "they had a nice stay in Paris"; "a lengthy hospital stay"; "a four-month stay in bankruptcy court"
(nautical) brace consisting of a heavy rope or wire cable used as a support for a mast or spar
a thin strip of metal or bone that is used to stiffen a garment (e.g. a corset)
a judicial order forbidding some action until an event occurs or the order is lifted; "the Supreme Court has the power to stay an injunction pending an appeal to the whole Court"
stay the same; remain in a certain state; "The dress remained wet after repeated attempts to dry it"; "rest assured"; "stay alone"; "He remained unmoved by her tears"; "The bad weather continued for another week"
stop or halt; "Please stay the bloodshed!"
fasten with stays
stay put (in a certain place); "We are staying in Detroit; we are not moving to Cincinnati"; "Stay put in the corner here!"; "Stick around and you will learn something!"
remain behind; "I had to stay at home and watch the children"
stop a judicial process; "The judge stayed the execution order"
continue in a place, position, or situation; "After graduation, she stayed on in Cambridge as a student adviser"; "Stay with me, please"; "despite student protests, he remained Dean for another year"; "She continued as deputy mayor for another year"
an obstruction that stands in the way (and must be removed or surmounted or circumvented)
something immaterial that stands in the way and must be circumvented or surmounted; "lack of imagination is an obstacle to one's advancement"; "the poverty of a district is an obstacle to good education"; "the filibuster was a major obstruction to the success of their plan"
the act of referring or consulting; "reference to an encyclopedia produced the answer"
the most direct or specific meaning of a word or expression; the class of objects that an expression refers to; "the extension of `satellite of Mars' is the set containing only Demos and Phobos"
the relation between a word or phrase and the object or idea it refers to; "he argued that reference is a consequence of conditioned reflexes"
a publication (or a passage from a publication) that is referred to; "he carried an armful of references back to his desk"; "he spent hours looking for the source of that quotation"
exerting force or containing energy; "live coals"; "tossed a live cigarette out the window"; "got a shock from a live wire"; "live ore is unmined ore"; "a live bomb"; "a live ball is one in play"
of current relevance; "a live issue"; "still a live option"
in current use or ready for use; "live copy is ready to be set in type or already set but not yet proofread"
abounding with life and energy; "the club members are a really live bunch"
actually being performed at the time of hearing or viewing; "a live television program"; "brought to you live from Lincoln Center"; "live entertainment involves performers actually in the physical presence of a live audience"
charged with an explosive; "live ammunition"; "a live bomb"
not recorded; "the opera was broadcast live"
lead a certain kind of life; live in a certain style; "we had to live frugally after the war"
pursue a positive and satisfying existence; "You must accept yourself and others if you really want to live"
a gentle affectionate stroking (or something resembling it); "he showered her with caresses"; "soft music was a fond caress"; "the caresses of the breeze played over his face"
touch or stroke lightly in a loving or endearing manner; "He caressed her face"; "They caressed in the back seat of the taxi"
a line spoken by an actor to the audience but not intended for others on the stage
in reserve; not for immediate use; "started setting aside money to buy a car"; "put something by for her old age"; "has a nest egg tucked away for a rainy day"
on or to one side; "step aside"; "stood aside to let him pass"; "threw the book aside"; "put her sewing aside when he entered"
out of the way (especially away from one's thoughts); "brush the objections aside"; "pushed all doubts away"
placed or kept separate and distinct as for a purpose; "had a feeling of being set apart"; "quality sets it apart"; "a day set aside for relaxing"
freedom from activity (work or strain or responsibility); "took his repose by the swimming pool"
a support on which things can be put; "the gun was steadied on a special rest"
a musical notation indicating a silence of a specified duration
euphemisms for death (based on an analogy between lying in a bed and in a tomb); "she was laid to rest beside her husband"; "they had to put their family pet to sleep"
a state of inaction; "a body will continue in a state of rest until acted upon"
be at rest
take a short break from one's activities in order to relax
give a rest to; "He rested his bad leg"; "Rest the dogs for a moment"
not move; be in a resting position
put something in a resting position, as for support or steadying; "Rest your head on my shoulder"
be inactive, refrain from acting; "The committee is resting over the summer"