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stair

American  
[stair] / stɛər /

noun

  • stairs
    plural
  1. one of a flight or series of steps for going from one level to another, as in a building.

  2. stairs, such steps collectively, especially as forming a flight or a series of flights.

    I was so excited I ran all the way up the stairs.

  3. a series or flight of steps; stairway.

    a winding stair.


stair British  
/ stɛə /

noun

  1. one of a flight of stairs

  2. a series of steps

    a narrow stair

"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

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Nouns

Etymology

Origin of stair

before 1000; Middle English stey ( e ) r, Old English stǣger; cognate with Dutch, Low German steiger landing; akin to sty 1

Vocabulary lists containing stair

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

However, researchers say more work is needed to determine the ideal "dose" of stair climbing.

From Science Daily Aug. 14, 2026

Despite "training five hours a day" and "running, walking, biking, stair climbing," she told the show she had no other choice but to "try something different".

From BBC May 28, 2026

She finished by painting the handrail a bright blue and wrapping each stair with a Persian-style runner.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 21, 2026

Still, amid the delights of Mr. Koolhaas’s stair, there are reminders that he is part of the generation of Deconstructivist architects who disdained the profession’s traditional values of unity, harmony and stability.

From The Wall Street Journal Mar. 20, 2026

Arabella knows every stair and turn and pathway through the darkness.

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton

"The physical part is very tough; I walk with a zimmer frame or a crutch and I have to be helped up the stairs, my husband has to physically put me to bed," she added.

From BBC Aug. 22, 2026

Frequent stair climbers were 39% less likely to die from heart-related causes and 24% less likely to die from any cause compared with people who climbed stairs less often.

From Science Daily Aug. 14, 2026

Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman fell down the visiting dugout stairs while chasing a foul ball in the eighth inning.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 13, 2026

Video in the Washington Post's report shows a catering truck lowering from the older Air Force One jet, minutes after Trump walked up stairs into the plane.

From Barron's Aug. 11, 2026

They had discovered the old radio beneath the stairs.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

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