stay at home
stay at home — 動詞
- stay at homepresent simple I / you / we / they
- stays at home3rd person singular
- staying at home-ing form
- stayed at homepast simple
1. to choose to spend time inside your house or apartment instead of going out for
待在家
留在家中而非外出
to choose to spend time inside your house or apartment instead of going out for social or practical reasons — for example, because of bad weather, illness, or a wish to rest.
The Chen family stayed at home and watched a movie after the rain started.
陳家待在家看電影，因為外面開始下雨了。
stay at home + infinitive purpose clause
Karim stayed at home all weekend because he was recovering from a bad cold.
Karim 整個週末都待在家，因為他重感冒正在休養。
stayed at home + time period + reason clause
On Sunday mornings, Esme prefers to stay at home rather than go shopping.
星期天早上，Esme 寧可待在家也不想逛街。
When the snowstorm hit, nearly everyone in the neighborhood stayed at home.
暴風雪來襲時，附近幾乎所有人都待在家裡。
Many people chose to stay at home during the holiday instead of traveling.
很多人在假期選擇待在家，而不是出門旅行。
- stay in
less formal; implies a deliberate choice not to go out
- remain at home
more formal; often used in written notices or instructions
- go out
leave home for social or entertainment purposes
文法句型
stay at home (no object)
stay at home [to do something]
用法筆記
This sense is intransitive — it never takes a direct object. A purpose clause ("to + verb") or a reason clause ("because…") frequently follows.
常見錯誤
2. to not go to a job outside the house, especially because you are looking after y
在職顧家
不外出工作以照顧家人
to not go to a job outside the house, especially because you are looking after young children or family members who need care.
Manuela decided to stay at home and care for her baby after becoming a mother.
Manuela 決定在家帶小孩，不去外面工作。
stay at home + full-time care purpose
Cyrus stayed at home with his twins for two years before returning to work.
Cyrus 在家照顧雙胞胎兩年後才回去上班。
stayed at home + with + time period
Some parents choose to stay at home even after their children start school.
有些父母即使孩子上學了，仍然選擇在家不外出工作。
The company offers a flexible schedule so either parent can stay at home when needed.
公司提供彈性工時，讓父母任一方在有需要時可以留在家裡。
Wei stayed at home to raise his daughter while his wife worked as a nurse.
Wei 留在家裡帶女兒，他的妻子則擔任護士工作。
- be a stay-at-home parent
more explicit about the caregiving role
- not work outside the home
literal and descriptive, less idiomatic
- work outside the home
have a job that takes you out of the house
文法句型
stay at home + with [children]
stay at home to [care for / raise]
用法筆記
Often paired with a time phrase (“for two years”) or a role phrase (“with the children”). The focus is on the absence from paid work, not simply being present in the house.
常見錯誤
stay at home — 名詞
1. a person who prefers to be at home rather than attend social events, parties, or
宅宅
喜歡待在家不愛社交的人
a person who prefers to be at home rather than attend social events, parties, or public activities — sometimes used playfully or critically.
Zuri calls herself a stay-at-home, but she actually enjoys small dinner parties with close friends.
Zuri 自稱是宅宅，但她其實喜歡跟好友吃小型晚餐。
calls herself a stay-at-home — self-identification
Everyone at the office calls Mark a stay-at-home because he never goes to after-work events.
辦公室裡大家都說 Mark 是宅宅，因為他從來不去下班後的活動。
Aarav used to be a total stay-at-home, but now he goes hiking every weekend.
Aarav 以前是個超級宅宅，但現在他每週末都去爬山。
The travel group welcomes everyone, from adventurous explorers to happy stay-at-homes.
這個旅遊團歡迎所有人，從愛冒險的玩家到快樂的宅宅都行。
My grandmother was never a stay-at-home — she loved going to dances until she was eighty.
我奶奶從來不是宅宅——她到八十歲都還喜歡去跳舞。
- homebody
more common and less critical
- indoor person
neutral, not specifically about social events
- social butterfly
someone who loves parties and social events
文法句型
a stay-at-home
a bit of a stay-at-home
be a stay-at-home
用法筆記
Can carry a mildly critical tone when used by others (implying boredom or dullness), but is neutral or affectionate when used about oneself. The plural form is stay-at-homes.
常見錯誤
stay at home — 形容詞
1. refers to a mother or father who chooses to raise their children at home full-ti
在宅育兒
全職在家照顧子女的
refers to a mother or father who chooses to raise their children at home full-time rather than working for pay elsewhere.
Hao works as a stay-at-home father while his wife runs her own business.
Hao 是全職在家的爸爸，而他的妻子經營自己的公司。
stay-at-home father — gender-neutral usage
The school organized a support group for stay-at-home mothers in the area.
學校為當地的在宅媽媽們成立了一個支援團體。
stay-at-home mothers — common compound noun
Nadia, a stay-at-home mother, wiped her son's tears after a rough morning and smiled when he hugged her.
Nadia 是全職在家的媽媽，在兒子哭了一個早上後替他擦乾眼淚，然後兒子抱她的時候她笑了。
The clinic offers free health checkups for stay-at-home parents and their children.
診所為在宅父母及其子女提供免費健康檢查。
Eitan took over as a stay-at-home dad after his wife earned a promotion in Taipei, managing their household full-time.
Eitan 在妻子獲得台北的工作晉升後，成為全職在家的爸爸，負責打理家中的所有事務。
- full-time parent
more formal, focuses on the commitment rather than the location
- at-home parent
less common, similar meaning
- working parent
a parent who goes to a job outside the home
文法句型
stay-at-home + [mother / father / parent / dad / mom]
用法筆記
Always comes before a noun (e.g., stay-at-home mother, stay-at-home dad). Do not use a hyphen when the verb phrase is meant (I stay at home vs. a stay-at-home parent).
常見錯誤
2. used in ice hockey for a defenseman whose primary role is protecting the goal an
堅守後防
冰球中以防守為主的
used in ice hockey for a defenseman whose primary role is protecting the goal and blocking the opponent's attack, without advancing the puck into the offensive zone.
The coach assigned two stay-at-home defensemen to protect the lead in the final minutes.
教練派了兩名堅守後防的後衛上場，在最後幾分鐘保護領先優勢。
stay-at-home defensemen — hockey-specific collocation
Piotr plays a stay-at-home style, rarely crossing the blue line to join the attack.
Piotr 打的是堅守後防的風格，很少越過藍線參與進攻。
Scouts praised the rookie for his disciplined stay-at-home approach on defense.
球探稱讚這位新人守後防時紀律嚴明。
Unlike flashy offensive players, a stay-at-home defender focuses on blocking shots and clearing the puck.
跟華麗的進攻型選手不同，防守型後衛的任務是封阻射門並將球清出。
The team traded for a veteran stay-at-home defenseman to strengthen the penalty kill unit.
球隊交易來了一名老經驗的防守型後衛，以加強少打多的戰力。
- defensive defenseman
the standard hockey term; 'stay-at-home' is the informal equivalent
- shut-down defenseman
emphasizes the role of neutralizing opponents
- offensive defenseman
a defenseman who moves forward to create scoring chances
文法句型
stay-at-home + [defenseman / defender / defenseman / defensemen]
用法筆記
Only used in ice hockey contexts. Not applied to other sports or general defensive roles outside North American hockey commentary.
常見錯誤
3. describes a holiday, lifestyle, or preference that involves staying in your own
居家式
留在家中或本地而非外出的
describes a holiday, lifestyle, or preference that involves staying in your own home or local area instead of traveling to other places.
The family planned a stay-at-home vacation with board games and backyard camping.
這家人計劃了一個居家假期，玩桌遊並在後院露營。
stay-at-home vacation — holiday at home
After years of business trips, Cyrus was ready for a quiet stay-at-home lifestyle.
出差多年之後，Cyrus 準備好要過安靜的居家生活了。
A stay-at-home holiday saved them a lot of money and gave them more family time.
居家度假替他們省下很多錢，也給了他們更多家庭時間。
The resort offers packages for both adventurous guests and stay-at-home types.
這家渡假村同時為愛冒險的客人和居家型的人提供套裝行程。
Bao prefers a stay-at-home weekend with cooking and gardening over going to crowded places.
Bao 比較喜歡居家週末——煮飯、種花——而不去人多的地方。
- staycation
a blended noun (stay + vacation); more common in advertising
- local
as in 'local holiday' — broader, may include nearby travel
- traveling
going to distant places for holidays
文法句型
stay-at-home + [vacation / holiday / type / lifestyle]
用法筆記
Often used playfully. A stay-at-home vacation may also be called a "staycation" in informal American English.