stay on
phrasal verb
stayed on; staying on; stays on
1
: to continue to work at a job
She thought about retiring, but she finally decided to stay on for a few more years.
After she graduated, she stayed on at the college, working in the alumnae office.
2
: to continue taking (a medication, drug, etc.)
I have to stay on the antibiotics for a full two weeks.
Examples of stay on in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
What if people choose not to grab that drink with friends after work, if date nights slow to a trickle, if the bowling balls stay on the racks on Friday nights?
—
Rahul Goyal, Fortune, 12 Jan. 2026
Living Area Weekly Cleaning Musts While everyone’s cleaning routine will look different based on their space and household, cleaning high-traffic areas such as the living room that are used daily is a good rule of thumb to stay on top of clutter and grime.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 12 Jan. 2026
Siri under pressure Apple has largely stayed on the sidelines of the AI boom that followed the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 12 Jan. 2026
However, Powell could stay on as a governor until 2028.
—Garrett Downs,emily Wilkins, CNBC, 12 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Stay on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stay%20on. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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