stairstep

or stair-step

[ stair-step ]

noun
  1. a step in a staircase.

  2. stairsteps, stairs; a staircase.

  1. a person or thing whose position, status, behavior, or the like suggests the shape or rise of the steps in a staircase: Their six children are stairsteps ranging from ages two to twelve.

verb (used without object),stair·stepped, stair·step·ping.
  1. to occur or move in a regular pattern suggesting the steps of a staircase: housing units stairstepping down the hill to the edge of the lake.

adjective
  1. suggesting or resembling the steps of a staircase, as in movement or shape: stairstep progress in improved appliance sales.

Origin of stairstep

1
First recorded in 1825–35; stair + step

Words Nearby stairstep

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024