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Definition of stair
stair
/stɛər/
stair
Plural:stairs
stair Lexical Profile
CEFR
A2
Grade
2
Tier
1
Usage
Top 5k
stair Game Scores & Validity
Scrabble US
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WWF
Wordle Guess
• noun
1
A series of steps or a flight of stairs connecting different floors or levels of a building.
Example
"We had to carry the heavy sofa up three flights of stairs."
2
A single step or one of a series of steps used for going from one level to another.
Example
"She tripped on the bottom stair and twisted her ankle."
Synonyms
View all synonyms for stairWord Nuance & Usage
"Stair" is frequently confused with its homophone "stare" (to look fixedly). In modern English, it is overwhelmingly used in its plural form ("stairs") to refer to an entire flight, while the singular is reserved for a single step.
• Rhymes for stair
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Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English 'steir', deriving from Old English 'stǣger' (stair, staircase), which is rooted in the Proto-Germanic verb '*stīganą' meaning 'to climb' or 'to go up'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Stair. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 17, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/stair