stair

noun

ˈster 

1

: a series of steps or flights of steps for passing from one level to another

—often used in plural but singular or plural in construction

a narrow private stairs

—Lewis Mumford

2

: a single step of a stairway

Examples of stair in a Sentence

She ran down the stairs.

He waited at the foot of the stairs.

She slipped and fell down the stairs.

The stairs lead to the roof.

We had to climb another flight of stairs to get to the roof.

He tripped on the bottom stair and almost fell.

Recent Examples on the Web

An old woman had been assaulted in this room and pushed down the basement stairs. —Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 9 Feb. 2025

Daniel Petroni Photography The 90-foot-long pool features an oversized spa framed by a Baja shelf that’s appointed with sun loungers and a stair case that leads to a swimming level. —Ray Parisi, CNBC, 7 Feb. 2025

One obvious issue with this sort of building is that spiral stairs are not accessible for those with disabilities. —Adam Williams, New Atlas, 4 Feb. 2025

The 104 passengers and five crew members aboard the flight were evacuated on the runway with slides and stairs and were later rebooked for an afternoon flight. —Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 2 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English steir, from Old English stǣger; akin to Old English & Old High German stīgan to rise, Greek steichein to walk

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing stair

• stair climber
• stair climbing
• stair stepper

Kids Definition

stair

noun

ˈsta(ə)r 

ˈste(ə)r

1

: a series of steps or flights of steps for passing from one level to another

—often used in plural

ran down the stairs

2

: one step of a stairway