What does ladder mean?
Definitions for ladder
ˈlæd ərlad·der
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word ladder.
Princeton's WordNet
laddernoun
steps consisting of two parallel members connected by rungs; for climbing up or down
laddernoun
ascending stages by which somebody or something can progress
"he climbed the career ladder"
run, ladder, ravelverb
a row of unravelled stitches
"she got a run in her stocking"
ladder, runverb
come unraveled or undone as if by snagging
"Her nylons were running"
GCIDE
Laddernoun
That which resembles a ladder in form or use; hence, that by means of which one attains to eminence; as, to climb the corporate ladder.
Wiktionary
laddernoun
A frame usually portable, of wood, metal, or rope, for ascent and descent, consisting of two side pieces to which are fastened cross strips or rounds forming steps.
laddernoun
That which resembles a ladder in form or use; hence, that by means of which one attains to eminence, e.g. the corporate ladder.
laddernoun
length of unravelled fabric in a knitted garment, especially in nylon stockings
laddernoun
In the game of go, a sequence of moves following a zigzag pattern and ultimately leading to the capture of the attacked stones.
ladderverb
To ascend a building or wall using a ladder.
ladderverb
To develop a ladder as a result of a broken thread
Etymology: hlæder, from hlaidriz (compare West Frisian ljedder, Dutch leer, German Leiter), from ḱleytro (compare Old Irish clithar 'hedge', Umbrian 'stretcher'), from ḱley-. More at lean, related to lid.
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
LADDERnoun
Etymology: hladre , Saxon.
Whose compost is rotten, and carried in time,
And spread as it should be, thrift’s ladder may clime. Thomas Tusser.Now streets grow throng’d, and busy as by day,
Some run for buckets to the hallow’d quire;
Some cut the pipes, and some the engines play,
And some more bold mount ladders to the fire. Dryden.I saw a stage erected about a foot and a half from the ground, capable of holding four of the inhabitants with two or three ladders to mount it. Gulliver’s Travels.
Easy in words thy stile, in sense sublime;
’Tis like the ladder in the patriarch’s dream,
Its foot on earth; its height above the skies. Matthew Prior.Then took she help to her of a servant near about her husband, whom she knew to be of a hasty ambition; and such a one, who wanting true sufficiency to raise him, would make a ladder of any mischief. Philip Sidney, b. ii.
I must climb her window,
The ladder made of cords. William Shakespeare, Two Gent. of Verona.Northumberland, thou ladder, by the which
My cousin Bolingbroke ascends my throne. William Shakespeare.Lowliness is young ambition’s ladder,
Whereto the climber upward turns his face. William Shakespeare.Endow’d with all these accomplishments, we leave him in the full career of success, mounting fast towards the top of the ladder ecclesiastical, which he hath a fair probability to reach. Jonathan Swift.
Wikipedia
Ladder
A ladder is a vertical or inclined set of rungs or steps used for climbing or descending. There are two types: rigid ladders that are self-supporting or that may be leaned against a vertical surface such as a wall, and rollable ladders, such as those made of rope or aluminium, that may be hung from the top. The vertical members of a rigid ladder are called stringers or rails (US) or stiles (UK). Rigid ladders are usually portable, but some types are permanently fixed to a structure, building, or equipment. They are commonly made of metal, wood, or fiberglass, but they have been known to be made of tough plastic.
ChatGPT
ladder
A ladder is a piece of equipment used for climbing up or down something, which consists of two vertical supports, with a series of horizontal bars or steps between them. These steps or rungs are evenly spaced and are used to ascend or descend safely. Ladders can be made from various materials such as wood, metal, or fiberglass, and can come in various lengths, styles and configurations including straight, extension, step-ladders and others.
Webster Dictionary
Ladderverb
a frame usually portable, of wood, metal, or rope, for ascent and descent, consisting of two side pieces to which are fastened cross strips or rounds forming steps
Ladderverb
that which resembles a ladder in form or use; hence, that by means of which one attains to eminence
Etymology: [OE. laddre, AS. hlder, hldder; akin to OFries. hladder, OHG. leitara, G. leiter, and from the root of E. lean, v. 40. See Lean, v. i., and cf. Climax.]
Wikidata
Ladder
A ladder is a vertical or inclined set of rungs or steps. There are two types: rigid ladders that can be leaned against a vertical surface such as a wall, and rope ladders that are hung from the top. The vertical members of a rigid ladder are called stringers or rails or stiles. Rigid ladders are usually portable, but some types are permanently fixed to buildings. They are commonly made of metal, wood, or fibreglass, but they have been known to be made of tough plastic.
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Ladder
lad′ėr, n. a frame made with steps placed between two upright pieces, by which one may ascend a building, &c.: anything by which one ascends: a gradual rise. [A.S. hlǽder; Ger. leiter.]
Dictionary of Nautical Terms
ladder
The accommodation ladder is a sort of light staircase occasionally fixed on the gangway. It is furnished with rails and man-ropes; the lower end of it is kept at a proper distance from the ship's side by iron bars or braces to render it more convenient. (See GANGWAY.)--Forecastle-ladder and hold-ladder, for getting into or out of those parts of a ship.--Jacob's ladder, abaft top-gallant masts, where no ratlines are provided.--Quarter or stern ladders. Two ladders of rope, suspended from the right and left side of a ship's stern, whereby to get into the boats which are moored astern.
Suggested Resources
Ladder
Latter vs. Ladder -- In this Grammar.com article you will learn the differences between the words Latter and Ladder.
Matched Categories
British National Corpus
Written Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'ladder' in Written Corpus Frequency: #3656
Nouns Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'ladder' in Nouns Frequency: #2238
Usage in printed sourcesFrom:
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Anagrams for ladder »
larded
raddle
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of ladder in Chaldean Numerology is: 1
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of ladder in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8
Examples of ladder in a Sentence
I then got in position to come down ... came down the ladder, and jumped off, being careful not to lock the door behind me.
The fathers of Volodymyr Borysovych (Groysman) and Petro Oleksiyovych (Poroshenko) were firm friends in Vinnytsia and this, apparently, is the main reason why Groysman went so quickly up the career ladder.
I’m sure of it, it had the black ladder on the back and the two black rooftops on top, the two bars, and we made the comment that would be the perfect little camper to go around in.
It’s shocking. There is nothing that the Cubans have done to improve their standing, you have to earn your way up the ladder, not just have political expediency be the reason that you get moved from Tier 3.
Four Lessons on Life 1. Never take down a fence until you know why it was put up. 2. If you get too far ahead of the army, your soldiers may mistake you for the enemy. 3. Don't complain about the bottom rungs of the ladder they helped to get you higher. 4. If you want to enjoy the rainbow, be prepared to endure the storm.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
References
Translations for ladder
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- leerAfrikaans
- escaleraAragonese
- سلمArabic
- nərdivanAzerbaijani
- драбі́ны, ле́свіцаBelarusian
- стъ̀лбаBulgarian
- মইBengali
- skeulBreton
- escala, carreraCatalan, Valencian
- žebříkCzech
- ysgolWelsh
- stigeDanish
- Laufmasche, LeiterGerman
- πόντος, σκάλα, κλίμακαGreek
- ŝtupetaro, dismaŝigo, eskaloEsperanto
- escalera, carreraSpanish
- redelEstonian
- نردبانPersian
- tikapuut, tikkaat, silmäpakoFinnish
- stigiFaroese
- échelleFrench
- dréimireIrish
- àradhScottish Gaelic
- escada, escalaGalician
- סוּלָםHebrew
- सीढ़ीHindi
- létraHungarian
- աստիճան, սանդուղք, փիլաքյանArmenian
- jenjang, tanggaIndonesian
- skaloIdo
- stigiIcelandic
- scalaItalian
- סוּלָםHebrew
- 梯子, はしごJapanese
- კიბეGeorgian
- ជណ្ដើរKhmer
- ಏಣಿKannada
- 사닥다리, 사다리Korean
- پهیژهKurdish
- scalaLatin
- LeederLuxembourgish, Letzeburgesch
- ຂັ້ນໄດLao
- kopėčiosLithuanian
- kāpnesLatvian
- arawhataMāori
- скалаMacedonian
- ഏണിMalayalam
- tanggaMalay
- sellumMaltese
- လှေကားBurmese
- ladderDutch
- stigeNorwegian
- haazʼéíNavajo, Navaho
- escalaOccitan
- ਪੌੜੀPanjabi, Punjabi
- drabinaPolish
- زينهPashto, Pushto
- escadaPortuguese
- stgala, stgeala, scalaRomansh
- scarăRomanian
- ле́стница, стре́лкаRussian
- лестве, љестве, lestve, ljestveSerbo-Croatian
- rebríkSlovak
- lestevSlovene
- shkallëAlbanian
- stegeSwedish
- ngaziSwahili
- ஏணிTamil
- నిచ్చెనTelugu
- нардабонTajik
- กระไดThai
- merdivenTurkish
- драби́наUkrainian
- سیڑھیUrdu
- thangVietnamese
- xänömVolapük
- håleWalloon
- לייטערYiddish
- 梯子Chinese
- isenyukeloZulu
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