Definition

1. Noun:
   • A powered, continuously moving stairway for transporting people between floors: A "moving staircase" is a mechanical device consisting of a circulating belt of steps that moves upward or downward, allowing passengers to stand or walk on it for convenient vertical transportation.

Usage

• The term "moving staircase" is a formal and somewhat dated name for what is more commonly called an "escalator" in modern English. It is used to describe the apparatus itself.
• It functions as a singular countable noun (e.g., , ).

Examples

• Noun:
  • The department store installed a new moving staircase to connect the ground and first floors.
  • Please hold the handrail while riding the moving staircase.

Advanced Usage

• "moving staircase" as a descriptive term: While "escalator" is the standard term, "moving staircase" can be used for clarity or in technical/descriptive writing to emphasize its function as a stairway that moves.
  • The architect specified a glass-enclosed moving staircase for the atrium design.

Variants and Related Words

• Escalator (n): The standard, more common term for a moving staircase.
  • Take the escalator to the next level.
• Moving walkway / Travelator (n): A similar flat, moving surface for horizontal transport, not a staircase.
  • The airport has a moving walkway in the long terminal.

Synonyms

• Escalator: The direct and most frequent synonym.
• Mechanical staircase: A less common, more technical synonym.

Related Phrases

• (To) take the escalator/moving staircase: To use it for transportation.
  • We should take the moving staircase; it's faster than the elevator.

Notes

• The term "moving staircase" is largely synonymous with "escalator." However, "escalator" is a proprietary trademark (originally from the Otis Elevator Company) that has become a generic term. "Moving staircase" is the generic descriptive term.

Noun

1. a stairway whose steps move continuously on a circulating belt