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stepladder

[step-lad-er]
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noun
  1. a ladder having flat steps or treads in place of rungs.
  2. any ladder, especially a tall one with a hinged frame opening up to form four supporting legs.
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Origin of stepladder

First recorded in 1745–55; step + ladder
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for stepladder

Historical Examples

  • Don't forget the stepladder, and plenty of tacks and string.

    Alexander's Bridge and The Barrel Organ

    Willa Cather and Alfred Noyes

  • He slipped it into his pocket and stood up on the stepladder.

  • She skipped up the stepladder as joyously as a kitten climbs a tree.

    Peggy in Her Blue Frock

    Eliza Orne White

  • Widow Blunt went into her house, and brought out her stepladder.

  • Thaine was busy on the top of the stepladder and did not see Leigh as she came in.

    Winning the Wilderness

    Margaret Hill McCarter

British Dictionary definitions for stepladder

stepladder

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

n.

one with steps instead of rungs, 1751, from step (n.) + ladder.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper