This is the 455th most frequent Dutch word.
bleef
"Bleef" means "stayed" in English.
In this sentence, 'bleef' is the past form of 'blijven', used as an auxiliary verb to indicate the continuation of an action.
Hij bleef maar lachen, ondanks de slechte grap.
He kept laughing, despite the bad joke.
Here, 'bleef' is used to mean 'stayed', indicating the state of remaining in a place.
Zij bleef thuis terwijl de anderen naar het feest gingen.
She stayed home while the others went to the party.
In this case, 'bleef' emphasizes the ongoing state or action, referring to continuity over a period.