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

In my case, moving the bulky 540-pound device up five steps at the front entrance would have tacked on an additional $125 stair-carry fee. — Evan Russum, Architectural Digest, 22 Aug. 2026

The elevators are hidden, and the stairs made prominent to encourage their use. — ABC News, 22 Aug. 2026

The design utilizes otherwise dead space under the access stairs and jumping platforms and transforms them into equipment rooms to hide away pumps and other accessories while keeping them easily accessible for maintenance. — Maggie Horton, PEOPLE, 21 Aug. 2026

Summers in the Big Apple can bring torrential, sudden rains, with water flooding into intersections and cascading down subway stairs, while nor’easters are de rigueur in the winter. — Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 21 Aug. 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