staging

American  

[stey-jing] / ˈsteɪ dʒɪŋ /

noun

1. the act, process, or manner of presenting a play on the stage.

2. a temporary platform or structure of posts and boards for support, as in building; scaffolding.

3. home staging.

4. Rocketry. the in-flight separation of a rocket stage from the remaining stages of a multistage missile or launch vehicle.

5. the business of running stagecoaches.

6. the act of traveling by stages or by stagecoach.

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staging British  

/ ˈsteɪdʒɪŋ /

noun

1. any temporary structure used in the process of building, esp the horizontal platforms supported by scaffolding

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Etymology

Origin of staging

1275–1325; Middle English ( see stage, -ing ¹)

Explanation

Staging is a set of raised platforms used in a theatrical production. Construction workers also use staging to support them as they repair the outside of a building. In plays and film the word staging can be used for the scaffolding that physically supports scenery and actors — and also for the process of presenting a work theatrically. This kind of staging involves modifying and designing a space, preparing it for a play. Preparing a house in order to sell it is also a kind of staging. If you're an astronomer, you probably use this noun to mean employing many engines, in separate stages, to launch a rocket.

Example Sentences

Staging a Shakespeare tragedy with just four actors sounds like a potentially comic stunt or an unfortunate advertisement of dire economic straits, in either case a radical diminishment of the play.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026

Officially known as the Lario Staging Area, the rocky area is owned by the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 30, 2025

Staging has grown ever more elaborate, incorporating flashy pyrotechnics and elaborate choreography.

From Seattle Times • May 9, 2024

Staging it in February, in Saudi Arabia, would cause no issues with Tennis Australia but could imperil the existence of the traditional European indoor and South American clay events taking place at that time.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2024

Staging was erected for the public in the transept ends and along the choir.

From Rheims and the Battles for its Possession Illustrated Michelin Guides to the Battle-Fields (1914-1918) by Various

Related Words

• appearance
• delivery
• demonstration
• display
• introduction
• offering
• production
• proposal
• reception
• show
• submission