to stay away from
384
2.3
- phrasal verb
- /steɪ əˈweɪ frʌm/
:
mantenerse alejado de
- Parents often advise their children to stay away from strangers for safety.
- stay away from people
- stay away from school
- told to stay away from
Maybe we'll just continue to stay away from those heavier acids.
- Maybe we'll just continue to stay away from those heavier acids.
- But I definitely stay away from the press during trial.
- Overall, my feeling is to stay away from all artificial sweeteners.
- So NYPD basically said uniformed cops stay away from street drug arrests.
- Stay away from grains, stay away from the starchy carbs.
- But as long as Bob stays away from her system.
- I unfortunately cannot stay away from chips and salsa.
- There's a lot of variables there, and I would stay away from sketchbooks.
- And so those two things I always stayed away from.
- And that is, do you know how to minimize or stay away from drama?
- So I'm staying away from bread, fried foods, soda and alcohol.
- But if it's not a sourdough bread, you want to stay away from gluten.
- I'm staying and have been staying away from those since about May.
- So ordinary people should stay away from these derivatives contracts.
- I think that stay away from anything that looks easy.
- First thing is stay away from food for some time.
Examples
-
I told you to stay away from that guy.
-
I told him to stay away from that corner.
-
But I definitely stay away from the press during trial.
-
First thing is stay away from food for some time.
-
Growing up I was taught to stay away from the other side.
-
I want you to stay away from my son.
-
Stay away from my girl.
-
It's kind of pretty and not too crowded if you stay away from the big holidays.
Fiction book (1993) -
I want to help the kids stay away from Joe because Joe's no good.
-
Overall, my feeling is to stay away from all artificial sweeteners.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To stay away from something or not do it to stop something bad from happening
∞
2.3
To avoid touching and disturbing a person, animal or object
590
1.6
Keep a distance from people or things you want to avoid
356
2.8
Move away from someone, or stop taking part in something
187
1.6
Stop someone or something from coming near
127
2.4
To stay away from a place, person, or thing
92
2.9
To avoid dealing with a problem or responsibility
87
4.2
Choose not to do something you want to do
75
7.0
Keep away from someone or something to show no connection
57
2.6
Avoid walking on places like wet grass or a freshly painted floor
56
3.8
To avoid getting involved in an argument or fight
48
3.2
To avoid getting into problems with the police or people in charge
43
3.2
To stop other people from getting close to you emotionally
42
3.6
Not to touch or interfere with something that belongs to someone else
41
4.6
Avoid doing something because you feel afraid or unsure
34
4.0
To stay away from people and things that may cause trouble or harm
32
3.9
To stay away from people or things to avoid close contact
31
1.0
To stay outside a place and not go in
26
4.6
To avoid someone or something and refuse to meet and speak to them on purpose
23
8.9
To avoid something on purpose
15
3.7
To refuse to have anything to do with someone or something
13
4.4
To move back from a place or activity to avoid danger and trouble
10
6.3
To avoid getting too close to someone or something, often emotionally
2
3.2
Stay away from things that make you feel nervous or worried to protect your health
1
3.9
Stay away from the streets to avoid danger
Refuse to be involved with people or things that seem dangerous and dishonest
To stay away from trouble and things that cause worry
Antonyms
How Avoidant
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to avoid going near or getting involved' is directly derivable from combining 'stay' (remain) + 'away' (at a distance) + 'from' (indicating separation); together they literally express keeping distance or avoidance. This compositional pattern is common in English and across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents should readily understand it.
Etymology
Stay away from gives a simple picture: it joins the idea of stay as 'keep your place' and away from as 'keep distance', so you keep away from a person or thing you want to avoid. That's why it means 'to avoid going near or getting involved with' someone or something.