stage

1 of 5

noun (1)

plural stages
1
a
: one of a series of positions or stations one above the other : step
b
: the height of the surface of a river above an arbitrary zero point
flood stage
2
a(1)
: a raised platform
(2)
: the part of a theater on which the acting takes place and which often includes the wings
(3)
: the acting profession : the theater as an occupation or activity
(4)
b
: a center of attention or scene of action
3
a
: a scaffold for workmen
b
: the small platform of a microscope on which an object is placed for examination
4
a
: a place of rest formerly provided for those traveling by stagecoach : station
b
: the distance between two stopping places on a road
5
a
: a period or step in a process, activity, or development: such as
(1)
: one of the distinguishable periods of growth and development of a plant or animal
the larval stage of an insect
(2)
: a period or phase in the course of a disease
also : the degree of involvement or severity of a disease
b
: one passing through a (specified) stage
6
: an element or part of an electronic device (such as an amplifier)
7
: one of two or more sections of a rocket that have their own fuel and engine
stageful noun
stagelike adjective

stage

2 of 5

verb (1)

staged; staging; stages

transitive verb

1
: to produce (something, such as a play) on a stage
2
: to produce or cause to happen for public view or public effect
stage a track meet
staged a fight
stage a hunger strike
3
: to arrange or decorate a house, condominium, etc. in order to enhance its appeal to prospective buyers or renters
Though it can be a bit pricey, having your home staged for sale is worth considering.Casey Bond
4
: to determine the phase or severity of (a disease) based on a classification of established symptomatic criteria
also : to evaluate (a patient) to determine the phase, severity, or progression of a disease
stageable adjective

stage

3 of 5

adjective

: intended to represent a type or stereotype
a stage Irishman
a stage French accent

stage

4 of 5

noun (2)

plural stages
1
: a usually unpaid internship in a professional kitchen that is part of a chef's training
The stereotypical stage—whether culinary school externship or a two-day effort—involves cleaning mushrooms by the bucketful or chopping onions until your eyeballs dissolve.Jonathan Kauffman
2
: a person who holds such an internship : stagiaire
… a Michelin-starred restaurant will most likely have at least one stage in its kitchen on any given night, and many of America's best restaurants have an ever-changing roster of stages constantly passing through the kitchen doors.Matt Tripp

stage

5 of 5

verb (2)

staged; staging; stages

intransitive verb

: to intern in a professional kitchen usually without pay as part of one's training to become a chef
I'd attended culinary school, staged at Jean Georges in New York City and worked the line at Gramercy Tavern.Sophie Brickman
Phrases
on the stage
: in or into the acting profession

Examples of stage in a Sentence

Noun (1) an early stage of the disease children at the same stage of development The actors walked out onto the stage. He was on stage for the entire show. He has no intention of leaving the political stage. The company wants to compete on the world stage. Verb (1) The school stages two plays each year. The students staged a protest. The school is staging a track meet. The prisoners are staging a hunger strike. The photograph of the two leaders shaking hands was deliberately staged. His career as a singer appeared to be over, but then he staged a comeback.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Marguerite Clark: The stage and film actor, born in Avondale, was briefly America’s darling during the silent film era of the 1910s. Jeff Suess, The Enquirer, 10 Mar. 2024 And thank goodness for that, because the 2024 Oscars stage is decidedly not. Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2024 The stage at the 17th Annual Women in Film Oscar Nominees was scarcely big enough for the impressive show of sisterhood on display. Katcy Stephan, Variety, 9 Mar. 2024 At this stage, your voice and face are the best developmental tools. Maya Polton, Parents, 8 Mar. 2024 Uggie, the late Parson Russell Terrier who starred opposite Jean Dujardin in The Artist, was on the stage when their film took best picture in 2012. Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2024 Clara’s motives presumably stem from a troubled home life, and indeed the play, adapted for the stage by David Farr from the film by Thomas Vinterberg and Tobias Lindholm, is concerned with the fallibility of domestic order. Naveen Kumar, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 Stanford reached the stage in 1998, and Oregon did so in 2017. Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024 Who that would be remains to be seen at this stage. Emmet Gates, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024
Verb
According to prosecutors, the suspects staged the scene to look like a robbery gone wrong. Gabriella Demirdjian, CBS News, 10 Mar. 2024 The first, staged in October 1943, saw POWs use a homemade, hollow gymnastics vaulting horse to shuttle prisoners and digging equipment to a tunnel site, with the horse used to cover the burrowing operation underneath. Jack Bantock, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024 Before that, in 2004, Ukrainians staged the Orange Revolution to protest election fraud. Serhiy Morgunov, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 Women in Afghanistan staged rare protests against harsh Taliban restrictions. Angela Charlton and Jade Le Deley, Quartz, 8 Mar. 2024 All this should provide some perspective on the partisan tug of war staged by the Republican Party over IRS funding in recent years. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 But this is a very different story from the playwright’s other recently staged works. Dalton Ross, EW.com, 7 Mar. 2024 The Shell is also increasingly being rented by outside promoters, including Live Nation and AEG/Goldenvoice, which are staging upcoming concerts at the venue by everyone from Primus (April 18) and Willie Nelson (April 22) to Cody Jinks (June 1) and Sarah McLachlan (June 2). George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2024 The Kings staged a 10-2 run to take a 43-34 lead and went up by 10 with 6:03 to play in the first half, but the Heat battled back to take a 62-61 lead on a 3-pointer by Highsmith. Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 27 Feb. 2024
Adjective
As 444 Capital is currently focused on deploying this first D’Amelio Family Fund to deserving mid-stage tech startups, particularly those founded by founders from underrepresented groups. Yola Robert, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2023 The results met the main goal of a mid-stage clinical trial, with the potential for less frequent injections than a similar experimental treatment being developed by a competing drugmaker. Adam Feuerstein, STAT, 22 Mar. 2023 Codenamed Katharina, the new high-performance electric drivetrain boasts ultrafast wheel-by-wheel torque vectoring, multi-stage cooling, a supplementary brake-by-motor energy regeneration system and new dynamic features like piloted drifting and the ability to perform tank turns. Georg Kacher, Car and Driver, 16 Feb. 2023 The multi-stage Royal George Theatre has closed. Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 9 Sep. 2022 And until a new, unified security strategy is in place, one that treats the expanding network and the multi-stage attack chain holistically, this issue is not going to improve. Fortinet Contributor, Forbes, 14 June 2021 The surge coincides with multi-stage state elections marked by large gatherings and roadshows, and the Kumbh Mela, or pitcher festival, celebrated in northern Haridwar city, where tens of thousands of Hindu devotees daily take a holy dip into the Ganges river. chicagotribune.com, 29 Mar. 2021 Faster turnover would jeopardize the multi-stage review and thus compromise authority and comprehensiveness. Andrew Moseman, Discover Magazine, 12 Feb. 2010 The venue is multi-stage GenZ paradise, Elsewhere, in Brooklyn, NY. Colin Kirkland, SPIN, 27 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Anglo-French estage abode, story of a building, state, from Vulgar Latin *staticum, from Latin stare to stand — more at stand

Noun (2)

borrowed from French, "period of practical experience constituting the concluding part of training for a profession," earlier "obligatory period of residence of a newly appointed canon before he could receive the prebend due him," borrowed from Medieval Latin stagium "abode, residence" (in stagium facere "to live in a place from which one receives a benefice"), latinization of Old French estage "abode" — more at stage entry 1

Verb (2)

derivative of stage entry 4

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (1)

1879, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1824, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1989, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1999, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of stage was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near stage

Cite this Entry

“Stage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stage. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

stage

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: one of the levels into which a structure can be divided
b
: a floor of a building
c
: a shelf or layer especially as one of a series
2
a
: a raised platform
b
: a part of a theater including the acting area
c
: the small platform of a microscope on which an object is placed for examination
3
a
: a center of attention : scene of action
b
: the theatrical profession or art
4
a
: a place of rest formerly provided for those traveling by stagecoach
b
: the distance between stopping places in a journey
c
: stage coach
traveling by stage
5
a
: a period or step in a process, activity, or development
an early stage of a disease
b
: one of the periods of the growth and development of a plant or animal
the larval stage of a beetle
also : an individual in such a stage
6
: one of two or more sections of a rocket each having its own fuel and engine
a three-stage missile

stage

2 of 2 verb
staged; staging
: to produce or show publicly on or as if on the stage
stages two plays each year
stage a track meet

Medical Definition

stage

1 of 2 noun
1
: a period or step in a process, activity, or development: as
a
: one of the distinguishable periods of growth and development of a plant or animal
the larval stage of an insect
b
: a period or phase in the course of a disease
the rash stage of Lyme diseaseR. H. Boyle
also : the degree of involvement or severity of a disease
advanced stage II or III disease (more than 10 positive lymph nodes found after axillary dissection) M. S. Anscher et al.
c
: one of two or more operations performed at different times but constituting a single procedure
a two-stage thoracoplasty
d
: any of the four degrees indicating depth of general anesthesia
2
: the small platform of a microscope on which an object is placed for examination

stage

2 of 2 transitive verb
staged; staging
: to determine the phase or severity of (a disease) based on a classification of established symptomatic criteria
also : to evaluate (a patient) to determine the phase, severity, or progression of a disease

More from Merriam-Webster on stage

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