Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to stay at

to stay at

563 2.0
To live somewhere for a short time, like a hotel or a friend's house
  • phrasal verb
  • /steɪ æt/
: quedarse en
  • I'll stay at the hotel.
  • stay at home
  • stay at a hotel
  • plan to stay at

And I was staying at this school.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • So many people were attracted to the festival that many stayed at farmhouses in the surrounding countryside.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • I shall be staying at a hotel near the border.

    The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)

  • We might be staying at this lovely place tonight.

  • I am currently staying at a friend's lake house.

    Molly Burke

  • A few months ago, I stayed at The Four Seasons in Las Vegas.

    Simon Sinek

  • It's fine to stay at the YMCA.

  • So, we've arranged for you to stay at a hotel.

    Saw X (2023)

  • She wants to stay at Beth-Anne's house for a few weeks.

    What Happens Later (2023)

  • When Beth and I were young, we stayed at an inn on Puget Sound.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • I am currently staying at a friend's lake house.

Synonyms

to stay over
vsto stay at
  • Informal
61 3.0

Sleep at someone else's home for the night

covers temporary residence in various places including hotels and homes
to sleep over
vsto stay at
  • Informal
57 2.8

To stay at someone else's house for the night

is broader, referring to temporary residence in hotels guesthouses or private homes
to lodge
vsto stay at
6 4.4

To give someone a place to stay for a short time

usually implies short visits in hotels guesthouses or private homes
to lodge in
vsto stay at
1 3.7

To stay in a place often for a short time

refers to short visits in hotels guesthouses or private homes

Antonyms

to leave
∞ 1.0

To go away from a place, person, or group

How Long

to settle
101 2.5
to reside
107 3.0
to stay at
563 2.0
to sleep over
  • Informal
57 2.8

Surface Forms

stay at infinitive
stayed at past
stayed at past participle
staying at present participle
stays at third person singular

Morphology

stay + at

The verb 'stay' means to remain and the preposition 'at' marks location, so 'stay at' transparently indicates remaining in a particular place (e.g., a hotel). This locative composition is common across languages and follows regular English verb+preposition patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the parts would readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

The phrasal verb stay at creates a simple image: you stay with your bags at a house or hotel for a short time. That's why it means 'to live somewhere temporarily'.