stair

stair — noun

1. a connected series of steps built inside a building that allows people to go fro

1.nounA2
Definition

a connected series of steps built inside a building that allows people to go from one floor to another

Example

Quinn ran up the stairs to answer the phone before it stopped ringing.

verb + up/down the stairs

The wooden stairs at the back of the house creak loudly in cold weather.

material + stairs for describing construction

Common collocations
  • climb the stairs
  • go up the stairs
  • go down the stairs
  • run up the stairs
  • walk down the stairs
  • at the top of the stairs
  • at the bottom of the stairs
  • a flight of stairs
  • the back stairs
  • the front stairs
Synonyms
  • staircase

    more formal term for the whole structure, often includes the handrail and banister

  • stairway

    neutral term, can be indoors or outdoors

  • flight of stairs

    emphasises a single continuous set between two landings

Grammar Patterns

stair is usually stairs

the stairs

Usage Note

When used to mean the whole staircase, 'stair' almost always takes the plural form 'stairs' and is treated as a plural countable noun. The singular 'stair' for the entire structure is rare in everyday speech.

Common Mistakes

I walked up the stair to my room.
I walked up the stairs to my room.
'stairs' is the usual plural form for the whole set of steps.

2. one individual step within a staircase that you put your foot on when going up o

2.nounA2
Definition

one individual step within a staircase that you put your foot on when going up or down

Example

Inês missed the bottom stair and stumbled forward into the hallway.

Emre counted every stair as he climbed to the fifteenth floor on a dare.

count + every stair

Common collocations
  • top stair
  • bottom stair
  • first stair
  • last stair
  • miss a stair
  • count the stairs
  • loose stair
  • creaking stair
  • sit on a stair
Synonyms
  • step

    more general term for a flat surface you place your foot on; can be outdoors

  • tread

    technical term for the flat horizontal part of a stair where you stand

Grammar Patterns

the + ordinal + stair

the top/bottom stair

Usage Note

Unlike sense 1, this sense is fully countable singular: you can say 'one stair', 'the top stair', 'every stair'. 'Step' is a broader word that includes outdoor and non-building steps; 'stair' is specific to steps inside a staircase.

Common Mistakes

Be careful of that step — it is broken.' (when inside a building)
Be careful of that stair
it is broken.' — 'stair' is the correct word for an individual building step inside a staircase.

3. a complete staircase seen as a single architectural structure, most often descri

3.nounB1
Definition

a complete staircase seen as a single architectural structure, most often described in its design or location

Example

The main stair curves gently upward through the centre of the old hotel.

Felipe admired the carved stone stair in the entrance of the library.

carved stone / wooden / marble + stair for describing material and design

Common collocations
  • main stair
  • grand stair
  • narrow stair
  • winding stair
  • stone stair
  • marble stair
  • wooden stair
  • spiral stair
  • back stair
  • fire escape stair
Synonyms
  • staircase

    the standard modern word for a stair structure, especially when including the handrail and banister

  • stairway

    neutral term emphasising the passage or route formed by the steps

Grammar Patterns

a + adjective + stair

the + adjective + stair

Usage Note

This sense uses the singular 'stair' to describe the whole staircase — it is much less common than 'stairs' (sense 1) or 'staircase'. It appears mainly in architectural descriptions or literary contexts to emphasise the form or material of the structure. Distinguish from sense 1, which uses the plural 'stairs' for the same physical object in everyday speech.

Common Mistakes

The stair in my house is very steep.' (in casual conversation)
The stairs in my house are very steep.
most speakers use 'stairs' (plural) even when describing one continuous set of steps.

stair — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four terms refer to a set of steps connecting different levels, but they differ in emphasis. 'Stairs' is by far the most common everyday word in spoken English — you use it when telling someone the luggage is at the bottom of the stairs. 'Staircase' is more formal and often includes the surrounding structure (handrail, banister, landing) as part of the design; an architect speaks of a 'grand staircase', not 'grand stairs'. 'Stairway' is a neutral term that works for both indoor and outdoor settings, such as a 'stairway to the beach'. 'Flight of stairs' specifically names a single continuous run between two landings without any change in direction — for instance, 'I climbed three flights of stairs to reach the apartment'. In most casual situations, 'stairs' is the natural choice.

stairsstaircase ↗stairway ↗flight of stairs

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • a flight of stairs
  • the top of the stairs
  • the bottom of the stairs
  • the foot of the stairs
  • the head of the stairs
  • down the stairs
  • up the stairs

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'stair' comes from Old English 'stǣger', meaning a flight of steps or a ladder. This in turn traces back to the Proto-Germanic root '*staigrō', which is related to the verb 'stīgan' (to climb or to ascend). Cognates exist across the Germanic languages: German 'Steiger' (a mine stairway or a climbing animal), Dutch 'steiger' (a scaffold or jetty), and Old Norse 'stegi' (a path upwards). The sense of a single step (as opposed to the whole flight) developed later in Middle English alongside the plural form 'stairs' which has now become the dominant usage for the full structure.