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stay over

A2 informal intransitive
In simple words

To sleep at someone else's house instead of going home

Literal meaning: To stay over (through the night) at a place

Meanings

1 A2 informal

To spend the night at a location other than one's own home

"It's too late to drive home — why don't you just stay over?"

2 A2 neutral

To extend a stay in a city or country by spending extra nights

"We decided to stay over in Rome for an extra night before flying home."

Usage notes

Common in both British and American English. Very natural in social contexts. 'Stay over' is slightly more adult than 'sleep over', though both are informal. Often used when travel is impractical or when visiting friends and family.

Commonly used with

friend's place house night weekend parents'

Forms

Base
stay over
I/you/we/they
3rd person
stays over
he/she/it
Past simple
stayed over
yesterday
Past participle
stayed over
have + pp
-ing form
staying over
continuous

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Synonyms

sleep over spend the night kip over (British slang) crash (informal)

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