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stay up — to remain awake and not go to bed

Part of speech: VERB

Definition: to remain awake and not go to bed

Pronunciation (IPA): /steɪ ʌp/

Example Sentences

  • My mom told me not to stay up playing video games, but here I am at 3 AM defeating the final boss.
  • I planned to stay up and watch the meteor shower, but fell asleep on the roof.
  • Students often stay up late during exam periods to cram for tests.

stay up

VERB

[/steɪ ʌp/]

to remain awake and not go to bed

to remain awake and not go to bed
💡 Concept

to remain awake and not go to bed

Stay up to climb way up, friends play up the challenge!
🎵 Rhyme

Stay up to climb way up, friends play up the challenge!

Got the picture? Now let's practice.

🎤Pronunciation

🇺🇸 US/steɪ ʌp/
🇬🇧 UK/steɪ ʌp/

🌳Etymology

Rootstay
Suffix-up

Origin

Stay derives from Old French estayer (to support, prop up), while up originates from Old English upp (upward, above). The phrasal verb 'stay up' emerged in the 16th century, combining these elements to mean remaining awake or out of bed.

Breakdown

stay (from Old French estayer, to remain or support) + up (from Old English upp, upward or in a raised position), forming a phrasal verb meaning to remain awake or not go to bed.

🎵Rhyme

way up
say up
play up

🔗Collocations

stay up late
stay up all night
stay up studying
stay up past bedtime
stay up watching TV

📝Examples

😄 Fun example

“My mom told me not to stay up playing video games, but here I am at 3 AM defeating the final boss.”

😄 Fun example

“I planned to stay up and watch the meteor shower, but fell asleep on the roof.”

“Students often stay up late during exam periods to cram for tests.”

“The security guard has to stay up all night to monitor the building.”

📚Related Words

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