# stays

Pronunciation: US say "STAYZ" /steɪz/; UK

## Verb

1. Third-person singular simple present of stay. — third-person singular simple present indicative of stay
   - Simple: Third-person singular of stay. Use this form with he, she, or it.
   - _He stays calm under pressure during every emergency._
   - _The corner shop stays open until midnight on weekends._

## Noun

2. Plural of stay. — plural of stay
   - Simple: Plural of stay. Use this form when there is more than one stay.
   - _The court granted several stays of execution over the years._
   - _Sailors checked the stays that held the mast upright in the storm._
3. A corset; a stiffened undergarment laced tightly around the torso to shape the waist and support the back.
   - Simple: A stiff piece of underwear worn long ago to make the waist look small and the back straight.
   - _The actress wore period stays beneath her gown for the costume drama._
   - _Her stays creaked faintly as she bent to retrieve the fallen handkerchief._

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/stays (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).