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

Example Sentences

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.

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Recent Examples on the Web

Requests for stair repairs can be viewed suspiciously as fronts for shore hardening. —Lucy Alexander, Robb Report, 5 Mar. 2023

Once the color palette is established, Gridley likes to start with a custom stair runner or a classic wallcovering that references each hue. —Ryan Conner, Dallas News, 3 Mar. 2023

That is unless the goal is to get the outdoor equivalent of a stair stepper gym workout. —Mare Czinar, The Arizona Republic, 2 Mar. 2023

The master bedroom and main living areas are on the ground floor of the two-story abode, while upstairs guests can enter and exit from a separate exterior stair at the back. —Elizabeth Fazzare, ELLE Decor, 24 Feb. 2023

Running indoors or out, biking or cycling, rowing, or using the elliptical or stair master are great cardio options, McParland recommends. —Addison Aloian, Women's Health, 23 Feb. 2023

Jackowski says that eventually, Spot will detect stairways by itself even when not in stair mode and adjust itself accordingly, but for now, that de-risking is solidly in the hands of the user. —IEEE Spectrum, 15 Feb. 2023

Identified today by their stair-step structures of igneous rock, the researchers focused on flood basalts with more than 100,000 cubic kilometers of lava. —Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 13 Sep. 2022

The primary suite has two bathrooms and two closets (one set is on that lower level of the home, about six stair steps from the level of the bedroom suite, Besserer said). —Dallas News, 17 June 2022

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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 stepper
• stair climbing

• stair climber
• stair stepper
• stair climbing

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