staircase

[ stair-keys ]

/ ˈstɛərˌkeɪs /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR staircase ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

Nearby words

stainless, stainless steel, stainlessly, stair, stair rod, staircase, staircase phenomenon, stairhead, stairlift, stairmaster, stairs

Origin of staircase

First recorded in 1615–25; stair + case²

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

Examples from the Web for staircase

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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
The girl slipped away from him, reached the staircase that led to the lower floor, and bounded down.
The Pocket Bible or Christian the Printer|Eugne Sue
Is there any one about to steal the staircase of the Louvre, or the clock from the pavilion of the Tuileries?
Tom Burke Of "Ours", Volume I (of II)|Charles James Lever
By the glow of the fire I made my way to the door A glance showed me that the hall and the staircase were In darkness.
Berry And Co.|Dornford Yates
Our bedroom doors faced each other at the top of the staircase.
The Story of Lewis Carroll|Isa Bowman
The staircase, as my readers may remember, has a strange connection with the Reformation.
Pilgrimage from the Alps to the Tiber|James Aitken Wylie

British Dictionary definitions for staircase

staircase

/ (ˈstɛəˌkeɪs) /

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

staircase

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.

Medicine definitions for staircase

staircase

[ stâr′kās′ ]

n.

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

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of staircase

Examples from the Web for staircase

British Dictionary definitions for staircase

staircase

noun

Word Origin and History for staircase

staircase

Medicine definitions for staircase

staircase

n.