stairs

[stˈɛrz] /ˈster How to pronounce stair (audio)/ (ame, mw)

stairs — noun

1. the steps inside a building that let people go from one floor to another

1.名詞A1
釋義

the steps inside a building that let people go from one floor to another

例句

Liam ran down the stairs when he heard the doorbell ring.

movement: run up/down the stairs

A red toy car was left halfway up the stairs after breakfast.

同義詞
  • staircase

    more formal and often used when talking about the whole built structure

  • stairway

    a neutral alternative that can sound slightly more formal

  • flight of stairs

    stresses one continuous set of steps between two levels

文法句型

the stairs

up/down the stairs

用法筆記

This sense almost always appears in the plural form 'stairs' when you mean the whole set of steps in a building. The singular 'stair' is uncommon in everyday speech for the full structure.

常見錯誤

❌My room is up the stair.
✅My room is up the stairs.
💡English normally uses the plural form for the whole set of building steps.

2. one step in a staircase that you put your foot on while going up or down

2.名詞A2
釋義

one step in a staircase that you put your foot on while going up or down

例句

Roya missed the last stair and grabbed the wall to stay upright.

last / top / bottom stair

A crack across the third stair grew wider after the heavy rain.

ordinal + stair

同義詞
  • step

    the broader everyday word; it can refer to indoor or outdoor steps

  • tread

    a technical word for the flat part of a stair where your foot lands

文法句型

the top/bottom stair

each/every stair

用法筆記

Unlike sense 1, this sense is singular and fully countable: you can say 'one stair', 'the third stair', or 'every stair'. 'Step' is broader and can describe outdoor steps too; 'stair' points to one step in a staircase.

常見錯誤

❌The third step of the staircase is loose.
✅The third stair of the staircase is loose.
💡when you mean one part of a staircase itself, 'stair' is the more exact word.