stepladder

[ step-lad-er ]

/ ˈstɛpˌlæd ər /

Save This Word!

noun

a ladder having flat steps or treads in place of rungs.

any ladder, especially a tall one with a hinged frame opening up to form four supporting legs.

QUIZ

FIRE UP YOUR VOCAB FOR A "RED" SYNONYMS QUIZ

No fire engine reds here, only a fierce collection of vibrant words for the color red to test yourself on.

Question 1 of 7

What does "amaranth" mean?

a legendary stone of impenetrable hardness

an imaginary, undying flower

a mythical creature

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing

Origin of stepladder

First recorded in 1745–55; step + ladder

Words nearby stepladder

Stephen VIII, Stephenville, step-in, step into, step into someone's shoes, stepladder, stepmother, Stepney, step-off, step-on, Step on a crack, break your mother's back

How to use stepladder in a sentence

She was mounted upon a high stepladder, unhooking a picture from the wall when he entered.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
Ostentatiously he borrowed a stepladder and stretched the cloth across the front of his store, from post to post.
Scattergood Baines|Clarence Budington Kelland
"Get down here, I didn't bring a stepladder," is what she said and I tried to smile, but it's hard to smile when you're kissing.
Little Brother|Cory Doctorow
Fortunately, however, the one nearest the house could be examined with the aid of a friendly stepladder.
The Boy Scouts of Lakeville High|Leslie W. Quirk

She broke her leg—fell off the stepladder where she was three days ago.
Miss Billy Married|Eleanor H. Porter

British Dictionary definitions for stepladder

stepladder

/ (ˈstɛpˌlædə) /

noun

a folding portable ladder that is made of broad flat steps fixed to a supporting frame hinged at the top to another supporting frame

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