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

Cedric was found at the bottom of a short set of stairs. —Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 June 2025

The film follows a group of college students who order a pizza to their dorm, but after accidentally ingesting a homemade drug, their simple journey down two flights of stairs to retrieve it turns into a mind-bendingly transformative quest. —Katcy Stephan, Variety, 17 June 2025

The supporters will have their own entry on the southwest corner—Funkhouser envisions the supporters gathering north of the site, marching through the mixed-use area and down a monumental set of stairs toward Wells Street and then into the dedicated entrance. —Tim Newcomb, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025

See Trump approval ratings Trump stumbles up the stairs to Air Force One, stoking memory of Biden tripping video Trump visits Fort Bragg. —Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 15 June 2025

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