stage

[ steyj ]

/ steɪdʒ /

|||

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR stage ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a single step or degree in a process; a particular phase, period, position, etc., in a process, development, or series.

a raised platform or floor, as for speakers, performers, etc.

Theater.

the platform on which the actors perform in a theater.
this platform with all the parts of the theater and all the apparatus back of the proscenium.

the stage, the theater, especially acting, as a profession: He plans to make the stage his career.

Movies. sound stage.

the scene of any action.

a stagecoach.

a place of rest on a journey; a regular stopping place of a stagecoach or the like, for the change of horses, mules, etc.

the distance between two places of rest on a journey; each of the portions of a journey.

a portion or period of a course of action, of life, etc.: the adolescent stage of human development.

Entomology.

any one of the major time periods in the development of an insect, as the embryonic, larval, pupal, and imaginal stages.
Also called stadium. any one of the periods of larval growth between molts.

Economics, Sociology. a major phase of the economic or sociological life of human beings or society: the patriarchal stage.

Geology. a division of stratified rocks corresponding to a single geologic age.

the small platform of a microscope on which the object to be examined is placed.

Radio. an element in a complex mechanism, as a tube and its accessory structures in a multiple amplifier.

Rocketry. a section of a rocket containing a rocket engine or cluster of rocket engines, usually separable from other such sections when its propellant is exhausted.

verb (used with object), staged, stag·ing.

to represent, produce, or exhibit on or as if on a stage: The drama class staged a play during Christmas vacation.

to furnish with a stage, staging, stage set, etc.

to write, direct, or produce (a play) with the action taking place as if in a specified locale or time: He staged the fantasy on Mars in the year 2500.

to plan, organize, or carry out (an activity), especially for dramatic or public effect: Workers staged a one-day strike.

to classify the natural progression of (a disease, especially cancer).

to prepare (a home) for sale in such a way as to appeal to potential buyers and generate a higher selling price: They were initially reluctant to hire someone to stage their apartment.

verb (used without object), staged, stag·ing.

to be suitable for presentation or performance on the stage: The script didn't stage well.

to travel by stagecoach.

Nearby words

stag night, stag party, stag's horn, stag's-horn coral, stag-horn calculus, stage, stage brace, stage business, stage direction, stage director, stage door

Idioms

by easy stages, working, traveling, etc., slowly, with frequent pauses; unhurriedly, with many stops; gradually.

go on the stage, to become an actor, especially in the theater: She knew from the age of 12 that she would go on the stage.

hold the stage,

to continue to be produced, as a play or other theatrical production.
to be the center of attention.

on stage, performing, especially as an actor.

Origin of stage

1250–1300; Middle English (noun) < Old French estage (French étage), from Vulgar Latin staticum (unattested) “standing place,” equivalent to stat(us) status + -icum, neuter of -icus -ic

SYNONYMS FOR stage

6 spot, setting, locale.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR stage ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

stage·a·ble, adjectivestage·a·bil·i·ty, stage·a·ble·ness, nounstage·a·bly, adverbin·ter·stage, adjective

re·stage, verb (used with object), re·staged, re·stag·ing.su·per·stage, nounun·der·stage, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for stage

But at this stage, he is either afraid or unable to get carried away by his thoughts.
The Lost Novel of Nobel-Winner José Saramago|Charles Shafaieh|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He said many of them had trouble making the transition from stage realism to the more naturalistic demands of the screen.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
People scream, the orchestra stops playing, and the stage manager whisks the diva into the wings.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The substitute nurse says to him in a stage whisper, “You know, the doctor says no vodka.”
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST

And his parents were well-known country performers on stage and radio.
The Best Albums of 2014|Ted Gioia|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His comedies are less remarkable on the stage than they are in the library.
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Volume 20, September, 1877.|Various
These are not the writers who make so much as a clerk's income out of the stage.
My Miscellanies, Vol. 2 (of 2)|Wilkie Collins
Dramatic instinct as applied to listening on the stage, and everywhere, is apt to be overlooked.
Browning and the Dramatic Monologue|S. S. Curry
Against the wall was a large wardrobe closet; stage costumes were hanging in it.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science January 1930|Victor Rousseau
He turned accordingly and pulled open the door that led to the stage.
Mistress Nell|George C. Hazelton, Jr.

British Dictionary definitions for stage

stage

/ (steɪdʒ) /

noun

a distinct step or period of development, growth, or progressa child at the toddling stage

a raised area or platform

the platform in a theatre where actors perform

the stage the theatre as a profession

any scene regarded as a setting for an event or action

a portion of a journey or a stopping place after such a portion

short for stagecoach

British a division of a bus route for which there is a fixed fare

one of the separate propulsion units of a rocket that can be jettisoned when it has burnt outSee also multistage (def. 1)

any of the various distinct periods of growth or development in the life of an organism, esp an insecta larval stage; pupal stage

the organism itself at such a period of growth

a small stratigraphical unit; a subdivision of a rock series or system

the platform on a microscope on which the specimen is mounted for examination

electronics a part of a complex circuit, esp one of a number of transistors with the associated elements required to amplify a signal in an amplifier

a university subject studied for one academic yearStage II French

by easy stages or in easy stages not hurriedlyhe learned French by easy stages

verb

(tr) to perform (a play), esp on a stagewe are going to stage ``Hamlet''

(tr) to set the action of (a play) in a particular time or place

(tr) to plan, organize, and carry out (an event)

(intr) obsolete to travel by stagecoach

Word Origin for stage

C13: from Old French estage position, from Vulgar Latin staticum (unattested), from Latin stāre to stand

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for stage

stage

[ stāj ]

n.

A period in the course of a disease.

The platform on a microscope that supports a slide for viewing.

A particular step, phase, or position in a developmental process.

v.

To determine the extent or progression of.

Idioms and Phrases with stage

stage

In addition to the idioms beginning with stage

stage fright
stage whisper

also see:

at this stage
set the scene (stage) for