Definition

1. Noun:
   • A single step in a series of steps forming a stairway: A "stair" is one of the individual, typically horizontal, surfaces on which you place your foot when going up or down between different levels in a building.
   • (plural: stairs) A flight of steps; a staircase: The word "stairs" (plural form) refers to the entire structure or set of steps connecting one floor to another.

Examples of Usage

• Noun (singular):
  • The top stair creaked when I stepped on it.
  • He tripped on the bottom stair.
• Noun (plural):
  • She ran up the stairs to her bedroom.
  • The old building has a beautiful wooden staircase.

Advanced Usage

• "flight of stairs": A continuous series of steps between landings or floors.
  • Her apartment is three flights of stairs up.
• "below stairs" (idiomatic, historical): Refers to the basement area of a large house where servants worked and lived; by extension, it can refer to the servants themselves or their domain.
  • In Victorian times, gossip often originated below stairs.

Variants and Related Words

• Staircase (n): The entire structure, including the steps, handrails, and supports, that forms a passage from one floor to another.
• Stairway (n): Another term for a staircase, especially one that is enclosed.
• Stairwell (n): The vertical shaft or space in a building in which a staircase is built.
• Staircase is often used interchangeably with stairs, but staircase can imply a more formal or complete architectural feature.

Synonyms

• Step: A single stair.
• Tread: The horizontal part of a stair on which the foot is placed.

Related Phrases

• "at the foot of the stairs": At the bottom of the staircase.
  • The parcel was left at the foot of the stairs.
• "a stair rod": A rod for holding a carpet in place on a stair.
  • The old carpet was secured with brass stair rods.

Related Idioms

• "below stairs": As mentioned in advanced usage, this idiom originates from the class structure of large households and signifies the world of domestic servants.
  • The novel explores the lives of the family upstairs and the intrigues below stairs.

Noun

1. support consisting of a place to rest the foot while ascending or descending a stairway
   • he paused on the bottom step