stairstep

or stair-step

[ stair-step ]

noun

1. a step in a staircase.
2. stairsteps, stairs; a staircase.
3. a person or thing whose position, status, behavior, or the like suggests the shape or rise of the steps in a staircase:

   Their six children are stairsteps ranging from ages two to twelve.

verb (used without object)

, stair·stepped, stair·step·ping.

1. to occur or move in a regular pattern suggesting the steps of a staircase:

   housing units stairstepping down the hill to the edge of the lake.

adjective

1. suggesting or resembling the steps of a staircase, as in movement or shape:

   stairstep progress in improved appliance sales.

Word History and Origins

Origin of stairstep¹

First recorded in 1825–35; stair + step

Example Sentences

Though Hiawatha provides many access points, its stairstep entry at the southeast corner of California Avenue and Lander Street offers an evergreen treat absent in 1911.

From Seattle Times

Use an old toothbrush to apply the solution to the grout, starting at the top and working down and crosswise, in a stairstep pattern.

From Washington Post

Ms. CeeCee looked at the four of them, a stairstep from John John, the tallest, down to Bit.

From Literature

Predictions are now emerging of a “W” that cycles up and down a few times with resurgences of the virus, “checkmark” shapes that take an extended period to recover lost ground, or even a “stairstep” - the bounce Trump is anticipating followed by a long period with little growth until a vaccine is found.

From Reuters

He said Morton was going through the Stairstep Rapid and didn’t see the tree.

From Washington Times