stair

noun

SaySTAIR/stɛɚ/UK/stɛə/AUS/steː/

Pluralstairs

2 meanings of stair

1
nouncountable
A set of steps that lets you walk up or down between floors of a building.
Like a hill made of flat steps that you walk up instead of a slope.
A long stair carpet ran all the way up to the upper floor.
The wooden stairs creaked as we climbed to the second floor.
Similarstaircase, stairway, steps
Note
2
nouncountable
One of the flat parts you put your foot on when climbing up or down.
Like one step on a ladder: just one of many you climb.
He tripped on the top stair and dropped his bag.
Each stair was covered with a thick red carpet.
Similarstep
Note

Practice

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Origin

From Old English stǣġer, meaning a stair or staircase. It goes back to an old root meaning to walk up or climb.