stay back
A2 neutral intransitive
In simple words
To stay where you are and not move closer
Literal meaning: To stay (remain) back — not to advance
Meanings
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."
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."
Usage notes
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.
Commonly used with
crowd danger fire police school year distance
Forms
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
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Synonyms
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