stay away

phrasal verb

stayed away; staying away; stays away

: to not go near someone or something : avoid

I know I shouldn't go there, but it's hard to stay away.

—usually + from

Stay away from my girlfriend!

He usually stays away from large crowds.

I try to stay away from caffeine.

Examples of stay away in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Eddie Murphy says Robin Williams and John Belushi played a critical role in convincing him to stay away from drugs. —

Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 29 June 2024 During a news conference Sunday, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem acknowledged the death and asked residents to stay away from flooded areas. —

Amanda Musa and Kara Devlin, CNN, 28 June 2024 Swimmers are advised to stay away from piers, breakwalls and jetties. —

Kathryn Muchnick, Journal Sentinel, 28 June 2024 His chances hinge on reviving the enthusiasm of reform-minded voters who have largely stayed away from the polls for the last four years after previous pragmatist presidents brought little change. —

Fox News, 28 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for stay away

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stay away.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.