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stairway

American  
[stair-wey] / ˈstɛərˌweɪ /

noun

  1. a passageway from one level, as of a building, to another by a series of stairs; staircase.

stairway British  
/ ˈstɛəˌweɪ /

noun

  1. a means of access consisting of stairs; staircase or flight of steps

"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

Etymology

Origin of stairway

First recorded in 1790–1800; stair + way 1

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.

Barroso acquired his home in the late 1980s and only started hearing about the stairway project from 1992, when the Barcelona Olympics transformed the city's image as a tourist magnet.

From Barron's • Feb. 10, 2026

He is said to control a path to the “Infinite Land,” which turns out to be a literal stairway to heaven.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 11, 2025

Police said they believed the couple had tried escaping through the window because thick smoke from the fire had blocked the stairway, local media report.

From BBC • Oct. 20, 2025

“For small lots in particular, the second stairway can eat up a huge amount of the building’s footprint,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 29, 2025

A light meant the stairway led somewhere, probably somewhere with people...or, more likely, goblins.

From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley

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.