Definition of ladder
1 : a structure for climbing up or down that consists essentially of two long sidepieces joined at intervals by crosspieces on which one may step
2 : something that resembles or suggests a ladder in form or use; especially : run 11a
3 : a series of usually ascending steps or stages : scale climbing up the corporate ladder
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Examples of ladder in a Sentence
He was moving up the corporate ladder.
She worked her way up from the lowest rung on the economic ladder.
She got a ladder in her stocking.
Recent Examples of ladder from the Web
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At least two burglars broke into the museum at night, using a ladder to climb to a window from elevated railway tracks.
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Contests between picked teams within the department were common, such as hose-cart races to water hydrants, or races between ladder companies to carry buckets of water to the top of a building.
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This video is a bit out of character for Wadsworth, whose videos often provide important information about ladders and tape measuring in a cool, measured tone.
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He had been carried from his village, lying on a wooden ladder, for five hours by relatives.
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Climbing up a ladder to get a closer look, one sees in the midst of the paraphernalia several lawn jockeys, those garden ornaments usually in the form of an African-American youth.
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The three-time state qualifier continued to climb the ladder in D2, finishing sixth (39.6) as a freshman, third as a sophomore (41-5) and second this season with a mark of 43-8.
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The wage hike pulled the bottom rung off of the ladder, in other words.
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More than three hours after the fire was reported, ladder trucks continued to pour thousands of gallons of water onto the top of the building, but flames continued to shoot through windows and through the top of the structure.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ladder.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of ladder
Middle English, from Old English hlǣder; akin to Old High German leitara ladder, Old English hlinian to lean — more at lean
LADDER Defined for English Language Learners
ladder
playDefinition of ladder for English Language Learners
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: a device used for climbing that has two long pieces of wood, metal, or rope with a series of steps or rungs between them
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: a series of steps or stages by which someone moves up to a higher or better position
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: a long hole in a stocking
LADDER Defined for Kids
ladder
playDefinition of ladder for Students
: a device used for climbing usually consisting of two long pieces of wood, rope, or metal joined at short distances by horizontal pieces on which a person may step
Learn More about ladder
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See words that rhyme with ladder Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for ladder Spanish Central: Translation of ladder Nglish: Translation of ladder for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of ladder for Arabic speakers
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