stair

[stair]

noun

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

/ stɛə /

noun

1. one of a flight of stairs

2. a series of steps

   a narrow stair

Other Word Forms

• stairless adjective
• stairlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of stair¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of stair¹

Old English stæger ; related to stīg narrow path, stīgan to ascend, descend, Old Norse steigurligr upright, Middle Dutch steiger ladder

Example Sentences

Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia’s prime minister, awaited the president at the bottom of the stairs alongside troops and dozens of dancers.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Waves crashed over the lens room 146 feet above the sea, and water cascaded down the circular stairs “like a waterfall,” Shelton said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"He started to grope me in the hallway as I walked by and pushed right into me on the stairs," she says.

Read more on BBC

At homes across the country, orange jack o’lanterns, greenish-gray Jarrahdales and pink porcelain dolls cascade down the stairs, sometimes mixed with cornstalks, vibrantly colored mums or spooky Halloween decorations.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“Accessing the parlor level, Carrara marble stairs rise with mahogany bannisters, reinforced at the landings with wrought iron bars that provide both safety and beauty-an architectural detail that reflects the craftsmanship carried throughout the home.”

Read more on MarketWatch

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