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

The park also has inclusive swing seats and was built with very few stairs. — Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2026

Furthermore, there are stairs all over the hotel, though there are just as many elevators to assist with moving throughout the property. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Sep. 2026

That’s after festival director Alberto Barbera tried to extend the clapping by telling the cast to move up on the stairs inside the Palazzo del Cinema, where the screening was held. — Ellise Shafer, Variety, 2 Sep. 2026

The detective obtained surveillance video from the building that appeared to show Lopez, who was living in a third-floor unit, running up and down the stairs that night to sell drugs to customers. — Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 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