Rest vs. Stay — What's the Difference?
Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Urooj Arif — Updated on May 6, 2024
Rest involves cessation of work or movement to relax, while stay refers to remaining in a specific place or condition.
Difference Between Rest and Stay
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Rest is primarily about taking a break from activities to rejuvenate energy and health, whereas stay involves continuing to be in a particular location or state without significant change.
Individuals rest to recover from fatigue or stress, highlighting a temporary pause, while staying somewhere points to a more static condition, such as residing in a place or maintaining a position.
Rest often implies a deliberate pause to enhance well-being, often physically or mentally, while staying can occur under various circumstances, including voluntary or mandatory situations.
The concept of rest can include sleeping, lying down, or simply relaxing, focusing on personal health, whereas stay might not involve relaxation but could encompass continuing an action or situation.
Rest is typically a choice made for health or comfort reasons, on the other hand, staying somewhere can be a decision driven by external factors like social obligations, work requirements, or legal constraints.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
Cease work or movement to relax
Remain in a specific place or state
Purpose
Rejuvenation and recovery
Continuity in location or condition
Duration
Usually short-term
Can be short or long-term
Volition
Often voluntary
Can be voluntary or compulsory
Associated activities
Sleeping, lying down, relaxing
Residing, maintaining position
Compare with Definitions
Rest
Cease activity to recover strength.
She took a day off to rest after the marathon.
Stay
A period of residing somewhere.
Their stay in Paris was extended by three days.
Rest
Support or base for an object.
He placed the violin on the rest during the break.
Stay
Support or piece for maintaining position.
The stay wires were essential to stabilize the structure.
Rest
Relief or freedom from anything wearying or troubling.
The vacation provided him with much-needed rest.
Stay
Continue to be in a place or condition.
She decided to stay at her job despite the offer.
Rest
A period of inactivity for relaxation.
The doctor recommended more rest to aid his recovery.
Stay
Remain firm or steady.
The support beam will stay the load of the roof.
Rest
Remaining still and quiet.
The lake was at rest under the moonlit sky.
Stay
Stop or halt a process.
The court issued a stay of the proceeding.
Rest
Cease work or movement in order to relax, sleep, or recover strength
He needed to rest after the feverish activity
I'm going to rest up before travelling to England
Stay
To continue to be in a place or condition
Stay home.
Stay calm.
Rest
Be placed or supported so as to stay in a specified position
Her elbow was resting on the arm of the sofa
Stay
To remain or sojourn as a guest or lodger
Stayed at a motel.
Rest
Be based on; depend on
The country's security rested on its alliances
Stay
To linger or wait in order to do or experience something
We stayed to watch the final minutes of the game.
Rest
Conclude presentation of either party's case in a suit or prosecution
The prosecution rests
Stay
To continue or persist in an action or activity
Stayed with the original plan.
Stayed in college.
Rest
Remain or be left in a specified condition
You can rest assured she will do everything she can
Stay
To keep up in a race or contest
Tried to stay with the lead runner.
Rest
An instance or period of resting
A couple of days of complete rest
You look as though you need a rest
Stay
(Games) To meet a bet in poker without raising it.
Rest
An interval of silence of a specified duration.
Stay
(Archaic) To stop moving or stop doing something.
Rest
An object that is used to support something
A shoulder rest
Stay
To remain during
Stayed the week with my parents.
Stayed the duration of the game.
Rest
The remaining part of something
What do you want to do for the rest of your life?
I'll tell you the rest tomorrow night
Stay
To stop or restrain; check
Doubt stayed his hand.
Rest
A small, detached portion of an organ or tissue.
Stay
To suspend by legal order the implementation of (a planned action), especially pending further proceedings
Stay a prisoner's execution.
Rest
A rally in real tennis.
Stay
To satisfy or appease temporarily
Stayed his anger.
Rest
A period of inactivity, relaxation, or sleep:The hikers stopped for a rest.
Stay
(Archaic) To wait for; await
"I will not stay thy questions. Let me go.
/ Or if thou follow me, do not believe / But I shall do thee mischief in the wood" (Shakespeare).
Rest
Sleep or the refreshment resulting from inactivity or sleep:Get plenty of rest before the race.
Stay
To brace, support, or prop up
The tower is stayed with cables.
Rest
The repose of death:eternal rest.
Stay
To put (a ship) on the opposite tack or to come about.
Rest
Mental or emotional calm:The news put my mind at rest.
Stay
A brief period of residence or visiting.
Rest
The state of being motionless; the absence of motion:The car accelerates quickly from a state of rest.
Stay
The order by which a planned action is stayed.
Rest
The condition of being settled or resolved:a remark that put the matter to rest.
Stay
The consequence of such an order.
Rest
An interval of silence corresponding to one of the possible time values within a measure.
Stay
The act of halting; check.
Rest
The mark or symbol indicating such a pause and its length.
Stay
The act of coming to a halt.
Rest
A short pause in a line of poetry; a caesura.
Stay
A support or brace.
Rest
A device used as a support:a back rest.
Stay
A strip of bone, plastic, or metal, used to stiffen a garment or part, such as a corset or shirt collar.
Rest
(Games)See bridge1.
Stay
Stays A corset.
Rest
The part that is left over after something has been removed; remainder.
Stay
(Nautical) A heavy rope or cable, usually of wire, used as a brace or support for a mast or spar.
Rest
That or those remaining
The beginning was boring, but the rest was interesting. The rest are arriving later.
Stay
A rope used to steady, guide, or brace.
Rest
To cease motion, work, or activity, especially in order to become refreshed:The laborers rested in the shade.
Stay
(transitive) To prop; support; sustain; hold up; steady.
Rest
To lie down and sleep:rested for an hour on the couch.
Stay
(transitive) To support from sinking; to sustain with strength; to satisfy in part or for the time.
Rest
To be in or come to a motionless state:The can rolled along, finally resting when it hit the curb.
Stay
To stop; detain; keep back; delay; hinder.
Rest
To be located or be in a specified place:The manuscript rests in the museum.
Stay
To restrain; withhold; check; stop.
Rest
To be fixed or directed on something:His gaze rested on the necklace.
Stay
To cause to cease; to put an end to.
Rest
To be unchanged or unresolved:After arguing for an hour, we let the matter rest.
Stay
To put off; defer; postpone; delay; keep back.
The governor stayed the execution until the appeal could be heard.
Rest
To be supported or based; lie, lean, or sit:The ladder rests firmly anst the tree.
Stay
(transitive) To hold the attention of. en
Rest
To be imposed or vested, as a responsibility or burden:The final decision rests with the crperson.
Stay
To bear up under; to endure; to hold out against; to resist.
Rest
To depend or rely:That argument rests on a false assumption.
Stay
To wait for; await.
Rest
(Law)To complete the n presentation of one's portion of a legal case:The defense rests.
Stay
To remain for the purpose of; to stay to take part in or be present at (a meal, ceremony etc.).
Rest
To cause or allow to be inactive or relaxed so as to ren energy:The coach rested his best players. I rested my eyes before studying.
Stay
To rest; depend; rely.
Rest
To place, lay, or lean, as for support or repose:rested the rake anst the fence.
Stay
To stop; come to a stand or standstill.
Rest
To base or ground:I rested my conclusion on that fact.
Stay
To come to an end; cease.
That day the storm stayed.
Rest
To fix or direct (the gaze, for example).
Stay
To dwell; linger; tarry; wait.
Rest
(Law)To complete the n presentation of (one's portion of a case):The prosecutor was not ready to rest her case.
Stay
To make a stand; to stand firm.
Rest
To be or continue to be; remain
Rest assured that we will finish on time.
Stay
(intransitive) To hold out, as in a race or contest; last or persevere to the end; to show staying power.
That horse stays well.
Rest
To remain or be left over.
Stay
(intransitive) To remain in a particular place, especially for a definite or short period of time; sojourn; abide.
We stayed in Hawaii for a week.
I can only stay for an hour.
Rest
Relief from work or activity by sleeping; sleep.
I need to get a good rest tonight; I was up late last night.
The sun sets, and the workers go to their rest.
Stay
To wait; rest in patience or expectation.
Rest
(countable) Any relief from exertion; a state of quiet and relaxation.
We took a rest at the top of the hill to get our breath back.
Stay
To wait as an attendant; give ceremonious or submissive attendance.
Rest
(uncountable) Peace; freedom from worry, anxiety, annoyances; tranquility.
It was nice to have a rest from the phone ringing when I unplugged it for a while.
Stay
To continue to have a particular quality.
Wear gloves so your hands stay warm.
Rest
A state of inactivity; a state of little or no motion; a state of completion.
The boulder came to rest just behind the house after rolling down the mountain.
The ocean was finally at rest.
Now that we're all in agreement, we can put that issue to rest.
Stay
To live; reside
Hey, where do you stay at?
Rest
A final position after death.
She was laid to rest in the village cemetery.
Stay
To brace or support with a stay or stays
Stay a mast
Rest
A pause of a specified length in a piece of music.
Remember there's a rest at the end of the fourth bar.
Stay
To incline forward, aft, or to one side by means of stays.
Rest
A written symbol indicating such a pause in a musical score such as in sheet music.
Stay
To tack; put on the other tack.
To stay ship
Rest
Absence of motion.
The body's centre of gravity may affect its state of rest.
Stay
To change; tack; go about; be in stays, as a ship.
Rest
A stick with a U-, V- or X-shaped head used to support the tip of a cue when the cue ball is otherwise out of reach.
Higgins can't quite reach the white with his cue, so he'll be using the rest.
Stay
Continuance or a period of time spent in a place; abode for an indefinite time.
I hope you enjoyed your stay in Hawaii.
Rest
(countable) Any object designed to be used to support something else.
She put the phone receiver back in its rest.
He placed his hands on the arm rests of the chair.
Stay
(legal) A postponement, especially of an execution or other punishment.
The governor granted a stay of execution.
Rest
A projection from the right side of the cuirass of armour, serving to support the lance.
Stay
(archaic) A stop; a halt; a break or cessation of action, motion, or progress.
Stand at a stay
Rest
A place where one may rest, either temporarily, as in an inn, or permanently, as, in an abode.
Stay
A fixed state; fixedness; stability; permanence.
Rest
(poetry) A short pause in reading poetry; a caesura.
Stay
(nautical) A station or fixed anchorage for vessels.
Rest
The striking of a balance at regular intervals in a running account. Often, specifically, the intervals after which compound interest is added to capital.
Stay
Restraint of passion; prudence; moderation; caution; steadiness; sobriety.
Rest
(dated) A set or game at tennis.
Stay
(obsolete) Hindrance; let; check.
Rest
(uncountable) That which remains.
She ate some of the food, but was not hungry enough to eat it all, so she put the rest in the refrigerator to finish later.
Stay
A prop; a support.
Rest
Those not included in a proposition or description; the remainder; others.
Stay
A piece of stiff material, such as plastic or whalebone, used to stiffen a piece of clothing.
Where are the stays for my collar?
Rest
A surplus held as a reserved fund by a bank to equalize its dividends, etc.; in the Bank of England, the balance of assets above liabilities.
Stay
(in the plural) A corset.
Rest
(intransitive) To cease from action, motion, work, or performance of any kind; stop; desist; be without motion.
Stay
(archaic) A fastening for a garment; a hook; a clasp; anything to hang another thing on.
Rest
(intransitive) To come to a pause or an end; end.
Stay
(nautical) A strong rope or wire supporting a mast, and leading from one masthead down to some other, or other part of the vessel.
Rest
(intransitive) To be free from that which harasses or disturbs; be quiet or still; be undisturbed.
Stay
A guy, rope, or wire supporting or stabilizing a platform, such as a bridge, a pole, such as a tentpole, the mast of a derrick, or other structural element.
The engineer insisted on using stays for the scaffolding.
Rest
To be or to put into a state of rest.
My day's work is over; now I will rest.
We need to rest the horses before we ride any further.
I shall not rest until I have uncovered the truth.
Stay
The transverse piece in a chain-cable link.
Rest
(intransitive) To stay, remain, be situated.
The blame seems to rest with your father.
Stay
Steep; ascending.
Rest
To lean, lie, or lay.
A column rests on its pedestal.
I rested my head in my hands.
She rested against my shoulder.
I rested against the wall for a minute.
Stay
(of a roof) Steeply pitched.
Rest
To complete one's active advocacy in a trial or other proceeding, and thus to wait for the outcome (however, one is still generally available to answer questions, etc.)
The defense rests, your Honor.
I rest my case.
Stay
Difficult to negotiate; not easy to access; sheer.
Rest
(intransitive) To sleep; slumber.
Stay
Stiff; upright; unbending; reserved; haughty; proud.
Rest
(intransitive) To lie dormant.
Stay
Steeply.
Rest
(intransitive) To rely or depend on.
The decision rests on getting a bank loan.
Stay
A large, strong rope, employed to support a mast, by being extended from the head of one mast down to some other, or to some part of the vessel. Those which lead forward are called fore-and-aft stays; those which lead to the vessel's side are called backstays. See Illust. of Ship.
Rest
To be satisfied; to acquiesce.
Stay
That which serves as a prop; a support.
Trees serve as so many stays for their vines.
Lord Liverpool is the single stay of this ministry.
Rest
To continue to be, remain, be left in a certain way.
You can rest assured that a sick child will say when it's again ready to eat, so it won't starve and doesn't need to be cajoled into eating.
Stay
A corset stiffened with whalebone or other material, worn by women, and rarely by men.
How the strait stays the slender waist constrain.
Rest
To keep a certain way.
Stay
Continuance in a place; abode for a space of time; sojourn; as, you make a short stay in this city.
Make haste, and leave thy business and thy care;No mortal interest can be worth thy stay.
Embrace the hero and his stay implore.
Rest
To arrest.
Stay
Cessation of motion or progression; stand; stop.
Made of sphere metal, never to decayUntil his revolution was at stay.
Affairs of state seemed rather to stand at a stay.
Rest
To arrest.
Stay
Hindrance; let; check.
They were able to read good authors without any stay, if the book were not false.
Rest
To cease from action or motion, especially from action which has caused weariness; to desist from labor or exertion.
God . . . rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest.
Stay
Restraint of passion; moderation; caution; steadiness; sobriety.
The wisdom, stay, and moderation of the king.
With prudent stay he long deferredThe rough contention.
Rest
To be free from whanever wearies or disturbs; to be quiet or still.
There rest, if any rest can harbor there.
Stay
Strictly, a part in tension to hold the parts together, or stiffen them.
Rest
To lie; to repose; to recline; to lan; as, to rest on a couch.
Stay
To stop from motion or falling; to prop; to fix firmly; to hold up; to support.
Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side.
Sallows and reeds . . . for vineyards useful foundTo stay thy vines.
Rest
To stand firm; to be fixed; to be supported; as, a column rests on its pedestal.
Stay
To support from sinking; to sustain with strength; to satisfy in part or for the time.
He has devoured a whole loaf of bread and butter, and it has not staid his stomach for a minute.
Rest
To lean in confidence; to trust; to rely; to repose without anxiety; as, to rest on a man's promise.
On him I rested, after long debate,And not without considering, fixed fate.
Stay
To bear up under; to endure; to support; to resist successfully.
She will not stay the siege of loving terms,Nor bide the encounter of assailing eyes.
Rest
To be satisfied; to acquiesce.
To rest in Heaven's determination.
Stay
To hold from proceeding; to withhold; to restrain; to stop; to hold.
Him backward overthrew and down him stayedWith their rude hands and grisly grapplement.
All that may stay their minds from thinking that true which they heartily wish were false.
Rest
To lay or place at rest; to quiet.
Your piety has paidAll needful rites, to rest my wandering shade.
Stay
To hinder; to delay; to detain; to keep back.
Your ships are stayed at Venice.
This business staid me in London almost a week.
I was willing to stay my reader on an argument that appeared to me new.
Rest
To place, as on a support; to cause to lean.
Her weary head upon your bosom rest.
Stay
To remain for the purpose of; to wait for.
Rest
To be left; to remain; to continue to be.
The affairs of men rest still uncertain.
Stay
To cause to cease; to put an end to.
Stay your strife.
For flattering planets seemed to sayThis child should ills of ages stay.
Rest
A state of quiet or repose; a cessation from motion or labor; tranquillity; as, rest from mental exertion; rest of body or mind.
Sleep give thee all his rest!
Stay
To fasten or secure with stays; as, to stay a flat sheet in a steam boiler.
Rest
Hence, freedom from everything which wearies or disturbs; peace; security.
And the land had rest fourscore years.
Stay
To tack, as a vessel, so that the other side of the vessel shall be presented to the wind.
Rest
Sleep; slumber; hence, poetically, death.
How sleep the brave who sink to rest,By all their country's wishes blest.
Stay
To remain; to continue in a place; to abide fixed for a space of time; to stop; to stand still.
She would command the hasty sun to stay.
Stay, I command you; stay and hear me first.
I stay a little longer, as one staysTo cover up the embers that still burn.
Rest
That on which anything rests or leans for support; as, a rest in a lathe, for supporting the cutting tool or steadying the work.
He made narrowed rests round about, that the beams should not be fastened in the walls of the house.
Stay
To continue in a state.
The flames augment, and stayAt their full height, then languish to decay.
Rest
A projection from the right side of the cuirass, serving to support the lance.
Their visors closed, their lances in the rest.
Stay
To wait; to attend; to forbear to act.
I 'll tell thee all my whole deviceWhen I am in my coach, which stays for us.
The father can not stay any longer for the fortune.
Rest
A place where one may rest, either temporarily, as in an inn, or permanently, as, in an abode.
In dust our final rest, and native home.
Ye are not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance which the Lord your God giveth you.
Stay
To dwell; to tarry; to linger.
I must stay a little on one action.
Rest
A short pause in reading verse; a cæsura.
Stay
To rest; to depend; to rely; to stand; to insist.
I stay here on my bond.
Ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon.
Rest
The striking of a balance at regular intervals in a running account.
Stay
To come to an end; to cease; as, that day the storm stayed.
Here my commission stays.
Rest
A set or game at tennis.
Stay
To hold out in a race or other contest; as, a horse stays well.
Rest
Silence in music or in one of its parts; the name of the character that stands for such silence. They are named as notes are, whole, half, quarter,etc.
Stay
To change tack, as a ship.
Rest
That which is left, or which remains after the separation of a part, either in fact or in contemplation; remainder; residue.
Religion gives part of its reward in hand, the present comfort of having done our duty, and, for the rest, it offers us the best security that Heaven can give.
Stay
Continuing or remaining in a place or state;
They had a nice stay in Paris
A lengthy hospital stay
A four-month stay in bankruptcy court
Rest
Those not included in a proposition or description; the remainder; others.
Armed like the rest, the Trojan prince appears.
Stay
A judicial order forbidding some action until an event occurs or the order is lifted;
The Supreme Court has the power to stay an injunction pending an appeal to the whole Court
Rest
A surplus held as a reserved fund by a bank to equalize its dividends, etc.; in the Bank of England, the balance of assets above liabilities.
Stay
The state of inactivity following an interruption;
The negotiations were in arrest
Held them in check
During the halt he got some lunch
The momentary stay enabled him to escape the blow
He spent the entire stop in his seat
Rest
Something left after other parts have been taken away;
There was no remainder
He threw away the rest
He took what he wanted and I got the balance
Stay
(nautical) brace consisting of a heavy rope or wire cable used as a support for a mast or spar
Rest
Freedom from activity (work or strain or responsibility);
Took his repose by the swimming pool
Stay
A thin strip of metal or bone that is used to stiffen a garment (e.g. a corset)
Rest
A pause for relaxation;
People actually accomplish more when they take time for short rests
Stay
Stay the same; remain in a certain state;
The dress remained wet after repeated attempts to dry it
Rest assured
Stay alone
He remained unmoved by her tears
The bad weather continued for another week
Rest
A state of inaction;
A body will continue in a state of rest until acted upon
Stay
Stay put (in a certain place);
We are staying in Detroit; we are not moving to Cincinnati
Stay put in the corner here!
Stick around and you will learn something!
Rest
Euphemisms for death (based on an analogy between lying in a bed and in a tomb);
She was laid to rest beside her husband
They had to put their family pet to sleep
Stay
Dwell;
You can stay with me while you are in town
Stay a bit longer--the day is still young
Rest
A support on which things can be put;
The gun was steadied on a special rest
Stay
Continue in a place, position, or situation;
After graduation, she stayed on in Cambridge as a student adviser
Stay with me, please
Despite student protests, he remained Dean for another year
She continued as deputy mayor for another year
Rest
A musical notation indicating a silence of a specified duration
Stay
Remain behind;
I had to stay at home and watch the children
Rest
Not move; be in a resting position
Stay
Stop or halt;
Please stay the bloodshed!
Rest
Take a short break from one's activities in order to relax
Stay
Stay behind;
The smell stayed in the room
The hostility remained long after they made up
Rest
Give a rest to;
He rested his bad leg
Rest the dogs for a moment
Stay
A trial of endurance;
Ride out the storm
Rest
Have a place in relation to something else;
The fate of Bosnia lies in the hands of the West
The responsibility rests with the Allies
Stay
Stop a judicial process;
The judge stayed the execution order
Rest
Be at rest
Stay
Fasten with stays
Rest
Stay the same; remain in a certain state;
The dress remained wet after repeated attempts to dry it
Rest assured
Stay alone
He remained unmoved by her tears
The bad weather continued for another week
Stay
Overcome or allay;
Quell my hunger
Rest
Be inherent or innate in;
Rest
Put something in a resting position, as for support or steadying;
Rest your head on my shoulder
Rest
Sit, as on a branch;
The birds perched high in the treee
Rest
Rest on or as if on a pillow;
Pillow your head
Rest
Be inactive, refrain from acting;
The committee is resting over the summer
Common Curiosities
How can rest benefit your daily performance?
By reducing fatigue and stress, rest can enhance focus and productivity.
What is the primary purpose of rest?
To rejuvenate and recover physical or mental health.
Is it possible to rest without sleeping?
Yes, resting can also involve lying down or relaxing without sleep.
What does it mean to stay in context of a location?
To remain residing or present in a particular place.
Can staying at a job be beneficial?
Yes, it can provide stability and continued career growth.
What impact does resting have on mental health?
It significantly aids in alleviating mental stress and improving overall well-being.
How does a stay differ when ordered by a court?
A court-ordered stay halts ongoing legal proceedings.
What are typical activities associated with staying somewhere?
Activities might include living in a residence, working in a job, or visiting a place.
Can stay also refer to a support structure?
Yes, in engineering contexts, stay can refer to a supporting cable or rod.
What is the legal implication of a stay order?
It temporarily suspends judicial proceedings or enforcement of a judgment.
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Written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
Edited by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
