Definition
To stay in a place or to remain in a certain state or condition.
Example
Ich bleibe heute Abend zu Hause.
Show translation
I am staying home this evening.
Etymology
From Middle High German *belîben*, Old High German *bilîban*, from Proto-Germanic *bilībaną* ("to remain, stay"), composed of *bi-* (a prefix intensifying or localizing the action) and *lîban* ("to stay, adhere"), related to English *leave* (in its older sense of "to remain") and Dutch *blijven*.
Cultural note
*Bleiben* appears in many fixed German expressions worth knowing: *am Leben bleiben* (to stay alive), *in Kontakt bleiben* (to stay in touch), and the warm farewell *bleib gesund!* ("stay healthy!") — which became especially common during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also features in the classic idiom *wie es ist, so bleibt es nicht* ("nothing stays as it is"), reflecting a philosophical streak in German everyday speech.