staircase

[stair-keys]

See more synonyms for staircase on Thesaurus.com

noun

a flight of stairs with its framework, banisters, etc., or a series of such flights.

Origin of staircase

First recorded in 1615–25; stair + case²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for staircase

Contemporary Examples

The camera dollied backward along the length of the tower's staircase while simultaneously its lens zoomed forward.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days
David Freeman
December 13, 2014
In the morning I stumbled down the staircase and choked down a chunky breakfast smoothie.
Aubrey Plaza’s Great Disconnect
Aubrey Plaza
August 15, 2014
Three artists were involved: Pierre Puvis de Chavannes and Edwin Austin Abbey decorated the staircase and corridors.
Destination Art Worth the Trip
Amanda Renshaw
November 15, 2013
He grabs it and comes down the staircase, and as he does he glances out a south-facing second-floor window.
The Man Oswald First Tried to Kill Before JFK
Bill Minutaglio, Steven L. Davis
October 3, 2013
The most mortal danger threatened to materialize suddenly around every corner, in every doorway, on every staircase.
Inside the Washington Navy Yard’s Building 197 During Alexis’s Rampage
Michael Daly
September 19, 2013

Historical Examples

He waited in the lower hall until she had reached the top of the staircase.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart
He ran up the staircase to his room and flung on some clothing.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart
The crowd is around the foot of the staircase waiting for the elevator.
The Call of the Twentieth Century
David Starr Jordan
John went towards the staircase, but his uncle called him back.
The Foolish Lovers
St. John G. Ervine
He was left in the entry hall, the servant hurrying to the staircase and up.
The Black Bag
Louis Joseph Vance

British Dictionary definitions for staircase

staircase

noun

a flight of stairs, its supporting framework, and, usually, a handrail or banisters

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

Word Origin and History for staircase

n.

also stair-case, 1620s, originally the enclosure of the stairs, from stair + case (n.2) in its sense "frame;" e.g. former window-case, door-case.

staircase in Medicine

staircase

(stâr′kās′)

A series of reactions or responses that follow one another in progressively increasing or decreasing intensity, so that a chart shows a continuous rise or fall.

staircase

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Examples from the Web for staircase

Contemporary Examples

The camera dollied backward along the length of the tower's staircase while simultaneously its lens zoomed forward.

In the morning I stumbled down the staircase and choked down a chunky breakfast smoothie.

Three artists were involved: Pierre Puvis de Chavannes and Edwin Austin Abbey decorated the staircase and corridors.

He grabs it and comes down the staircase, and as he does he glances out a south-​facing second-​floor window.

The most mortal danger threatened to materialize suddenly around every corner, in every doorway, on every staircase.

Historical Examples

He waited in the lower hall until she had reached the top of the staircase.

He ran up the staircase to his room and flung on some clothing.

The crowd is around the foot of the staircase waiting for the elevator.

John went towards the staircase, but his uncle called him back.

He was left in the entry hall, the servant hurrying to the staircase and up.

staircase

Word Origin and History for staircase

n.

staircase

Origin of staircase

He grabs it and comes down the staircase, and as he does he glances out a south-facing second-floor window.