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

Henderson was 20 on March 15, 2024, when his brother Gunner found him at the top of the stairs in the family home with his head in his hands. — Arthur Allen, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026

This is a classic stair-step uptrend, the kind the poets of Ancient Greece composed odes to and bards of the north told tales about around the fire in days of old. — Josh Brown,sean Russo, CNBC, 21 Sep. 2026

The upper concourse is at the top of the middle deck and stairs lead up from there to the upper deck. — Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026

There were over 25 poop pellets in that storage area, near the stairs where there was also a dead roach. — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 18 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