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
Lewis Mumford2
: 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
The city building inspector deemed the upper apartment not habitable due to the condition of the stairs.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 6 July 2024
In the living room, Kristen finds Ben having an existential crisis at the foot of the stairs.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 4 July 2024
And on several occasions, his dad has carried him on his back up flights of stairs when there is no elevator available.
—Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 2 July 2024
Built into the hillside, the home has a wraparound terrace on the upper level and a set of stairs over a lush hillside that leads to a path down to the pool and ample lawn space for garden parties and badminton games.
—Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 2 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for stair 
Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 6 July 2024
In the living room, Kristen finds Ben having an existential crisis at the foot of the stairs.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 4 July 2024
And on several occasions, his dad has carried him on his back up flights of stairs when there is no elevator available.
—Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 2 July 2024
Built into the hillside, the home has a wraparound terrace on the upper level and a set of stairs over a lush hillside that leads to a path down to the pool and ample lawn space for garden parties and badminton games.
—Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 2 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for stair
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stair.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Stair.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stair. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
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