stair

noun

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 stairsLewis 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
As a result, younger residents are typically assigned higher apartments, while older residents are moved to lower floors to minimize the physical strain of climbing stairs, as witnessed by CNN during multiple visits to the country. Oscar Holland, CNN, 19 Mar. 2025 Naoe can scale the outside of nearly any building with her rope, while Yasuke has to go inside and climb the stairs. George Yang, Rolling Stone, 18 Mar. 2025 More recently, iRobot has lagged behind its competitors, who are flaunting gizmos including arms that can pick up socks, carry air purifiers around, or even climb stairs. Brenda Stolyar, WIRED, 15 Mar. 2025 Now the company has demonstrated its agility chops by having the squat bot hop over low fencing, climb stairs and clear obstacles with aplomb. Paul Ridden, New Atlas, 15 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for stair

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of stair was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stair.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stair. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

stair

noun
ˈsta(ə)r How to pronounce stair (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on stair

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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