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stepladder

American  
[step-lad-er] / ˈstɛpˌlæd ər /

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.

stepladder British  
/ ˈstɛpˌlædə /

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

"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 stepladder

First recorded in 1745–55; step + ladder

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.

“I don’t need to hard sell people because if they like the experience, they’re going to come back … and build a baseline of trust,” said cheesemonger Jaz Persing of Stepladder Creamery.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 22, 2022

It would not be really useful for anything but its function at the end of Operation Stepladder.

From Space Platform by Leinster, Murray

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.