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

---

Etymology

Origin of stairway

First recorded in 1790–1800; stair + way ¹

Example Sentences

After the game ended with the Lakers stunning overtime victory, fans lined up to give him high-fives and cheer for him as his family descended a stairway.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

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

Afterward, in a stairway, he said, “What are you going to do when you leave?”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 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

The stairway turned and twisted; at one point, the darkness was such that the companions lost sight of each other.

From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander

Related Words

• staircase
• stairwell