stair

[ stair ]

noun

1. one of a flight or series of steps for going from one level to another, as in a building.
2. stairs, such steps collectively, especially as forming a flight or a series of flights:

   I was so excited I ran all the way up the stairs.

3. a series or flight of steps; stairway:

   a winding stair.

stair

/ stɛə /

noun

1. one of a flight of stairs
2. a series of steps

   a narrow stair

Other Words From

• stairless adjective
• stairlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of stair¹

before 1000; Middle English stey ( e ) r, Old English stǣger; cognate with Dutch, Low German steiger landing; akin to sty ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of stair¹

Old English stæger ; related to stīg narrow path, stīgan to ascend, descend, Old Norse steigurligr upright, Middle Dutch steiger ladder

Example Sentences

With no lift, the only way the 14-year-old can leave her second-floor flat is by shuffling down the stairs on her bottom.

From BBC

“In our show, we have these stairs to anywhere, which is really about imagination,” Weinstein says.

From Los Angeles Times

Some customers still make their way down the stairs.

From Los Angeles Times

The inquest also heard two statements from firefighters Leighton Brown and Gareth Davies who said the stairs banister, ceiling and the whole of the landing was “covered in smoke and fire” on their arrival.

From BBC

It can walk up and down stairs and navigate tight spaces.

From BBC

Related Words

• amount
• extent
• grade
• intensity
• point
• quality
• rate
• scale
• scope
• severity
• size
• standard
• strength
• term