stair
Americannoun
-
stairs
plural
-
one of a flight or series of steps for going from one level to another, as in a building.
-
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.
-
a series or flight of steps; stairway.
a winding stair.
noun
-
one of a flight of stairs
-
a series of steps
a narrow stair
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
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
"Mother to Son"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Spelling Practice, Unit 6
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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:
In the middle of a crowded stair landing, 3-year-old Shai Yolles sat cross-legged, organizing his spent glow sticks while adults maneuvered around him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Aerobic activities included brisk walking, running, jogging, swimming, cycling, tennis, squash, strenuous outdoor work, and stair climbing.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 12, 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 ● Jun. 1, 2026
She finished by painting the handrail bright blue and wrapping each stair with a Persian-style runner.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2026
He was relieved when they reached the last stair and he saw he’d been right: They were back in the lower-level hall where they’d been earlier that morning.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
“People care if they’re in pain. People care if they can’t play with their grandkids. People care if they can’t walk up the stairs to see the Chicago Bears.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
Cornell’s Title IX proceeding substantiated that he had been thrown down the stairs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Exercises that target the lower body, such as squats or the leg press, are especially important because these muscles allow us to get out of a chair, climb stairs and move confidently.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026
Georgia, 25 and Alex Scholes, 22, had just left a restaurant in the city's Spinningfields area when two men followed them very closely up some stairs while filming them.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
The man behind me gave me a little push and I hurried on down the stairs to the dining room.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
