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

Attendees made their way up a winding flight of stairs into the top floor’s maze of white-walled rooms. —Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 7 Mar. 2025

Additionally, there were no classes on the second floor because West was reportedly afraid of stairs. —Marina Watts, People.com, 7 Mar. 2025

Its converts-to-handheld mode that makes tackling the couch, stairs, or car effortless and affordable (no need for a separate vacuum). —Juhi Wadia, PCMAG, 5 Mar. 2025

Alternatively, ditch the equipment and do a stair climbing session on stairs within your home or in a public place—for example, the bleachers around a track or football field. —Sarah Bence, Verywell Health, 4 Mar. 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

Rhymes for stair

• air
• ayre
• bahr
• bare
• blare
• care
• chair
• claire
• ere
• err
• eyre
• fair

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