stairstep: Meaning and Definition of

stair•step

Pronunciation: (stâr'step"), [key]
— n., v., adj. -stepped, -step•ping,
—n.
  1. a step in a staircase.
  2. stairs; a staircase.
  3. a person or thing whose position, status, behavior, or the like suggests the shape or rise of the steps in a staircase: Their six children are stairsteps ranging from ages two to twelve.
—v.i.
  1. to occur or move in a regular pattern suggesting the steps of a staircase: housing units stairstepping down the hill to the edge of the lake.
—adj.
  1. suggesting or resembling the steps of a staircase, as in movement or shape: stairstep progress in improved appliance sales.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.