1 A2 neutral
To remain at a safe or required distance; not to approach
"Firefighters told onlookers to stay back while they worked to control the blaze."
stay back
A2 neutral intransitive
To remain at a distance from something or someone; to not move forward
In plain English
To stay where you are and not move closer
What does "stay back" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 idiomatic informal
(Education) To be required to repeat a school year instead of advancing to the next grade
"Two students in the class had to stay back because they failed the final exams."
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To stay (remain) back — not to advance
Actually means
To stay where you are and not move closer
Usage tip
Very common, especially as a command in emergencies or official contexts ('Stay back! There's a fire!'). Also used in educational contexts in some countries to mean a student must repeat a school year. Informal in the school sense.
Words that pair with "stay back"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
crowd danger fire police school year distance
How to conjugate "stay back"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
stay back
I/you/we/they
3rd person
stays back
he/she/it
Past simple
stayed back
yesterday
Past participle
stayed back
have + pp
-ing form
staying back
continuous
Hear "stay back" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "stay back" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Other ways to say "stay back"
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