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Meaning & use

long-stay

adjective·AcademicBritish

Last updated

UK/ˌlɒŋ ˈsteɪ/
US/ˌlɔŋ ˈsteɪ/

Meaning

  1. adjectivebefore a noun

    Meant for or involving a long period of staying somewhere, such as parking at an airport or care in a hospital.

    Grammar: Comes before the noun it describes: a long-stay patient, not the patient is long-stay.

    Patterns

    • long-stay parking
    • long-stay patient
    • long-stay visa

    We left the car in the long-stay car park for two weeks.

    The hospital has a ward for long-stay patients.

    He applied for a long-stay visa to study abroad.

Common combinations

long-stay car park
The long-stay car park is a free shuttle ride from the terminal.
long-stay patients
Long-stay patients often need extra support.
long-stay visa
A long-stay visa lets you remain for a year.
long-stay ward
She volunteers on the long-stay ward.

Synonyms and how they differ

extended-stay
Extended-stay is common in American hotel marketing, while long-stay is more British and used for parking and care too.
long-term
Long-term is broader and describes any lasting situation, but long-stay refers specifically to staying in a place.

Opposites

short-stay

Word family

stay noun
period of time spent somewhere
short-stay adjective
for a brief period
stay verb
to remain in a place
overstay verb
to remain longer than allowed

Commonly confused: long-stay or long stay?

long-stay vs long stay

Written without a hyphen, long stay is a noun phrase meaning a lengthy visit, as in it was a long stay; the hyphenated form modifies a noun.

Practice

Which phrase is correct for parking your car for three weeks at the airport?

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