stair

noun

ˈster 

1

: a series of steps or flights of steps for passing from one level to another

—often used in plural but singular or plural in construction

… a narrow private stairs …

—Lewis Mumford

2

: a single step of a stairway

Examples of stair in a Sentence

She ran down the stairs.

He waited at the foot of the stairs.

She slipped and fell down the stairs.

The stairs lead to the roof.

We had to climb another flight of stairs to get to the roof.

He tripped on the bottom stair and almost fell.

Recent Examples on the Web

Visitors reported visible signs of unfinished construction, including packing tape on stair railings and paint splatters beneath glass panels. — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 18 July 2026

Photos included with the complaint showed the edges of the stairs were worn and that concrete had partially crumbled away from a stair railing. — Evy Lewis, Chicago Tribune, 17 July 2026

Davis died in 1990 after a fall down stairs while under the influence of alcohol. — Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 17 July 2026

The security guard tackled him and literally THREW him down the stairs. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 17 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English steir, from Old English stǣger; akin to Old English & Old High German stīgan to rise, Greek steichein to walk

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing stair

• stair climber
• stair climbing
• stair stepper

Rhymes for stair

• air
• ayre
• bahr
• bare
• blare
• care
• chair
• claire
• ere
• err
• eyre
• fair

Kids Definition

stair

noun

ˈsta(ə)r 

ˈste(ə)r

1

: a series of steps or flights of steps for passing from one level to another

—often used in plural

ran down the stairs

2

: one step of a stairway