“Stair” or “Stare”

stair / stare are similar-sounding terms with different meanings (referred to as homophones). To better understand the differences, see below for definitions, pronunciation guides, and example sentences using each term.

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Definitions

What each term means

Same sound, different spellings and meanings, shown with a pronunciation guide for each term.

stair s·t·EH·r

No dictionary entry for this spelling — see the usage examples below for how it shows up in writing.

stare s·t·EH·r

nouna fixed look with eyes open wide.
verbfixate one's eyes.

Usage

Examples in context

Real sentences for each spelling. Hover an example to copy it.

“stair”

A curvilinear stair or "stoop" conforms to the…
…wall, and an external timber stair is located on the northwest.
…to the new church of Stair in the night-time.
Each wing has an internal stair, and the northern wing has…
…Dalrymple, the First Earl of Stair (1648-1707).
…the newly erected Parish of Stair.
…on the first floor, a stair tower leading to the second…
Stair Memorial Encyclopaedia, Vol 7 The…
…posts, cross-braced balustrade and central stair.
On a Stair (Penguin Books, 1997)

“stare”

…coordinate level is called horizontal stare decisis.
…systems follow the doctrine of stare decisis, by which most courts…
…of anything: I could only stare at her.
…women feel uncomfortable when men stare at them while they try…
…design enables the sensors to "stare" at the Earth and thus…
…to precedents is known as stare decisis (a Latin phrase with…
Stare at the Sun - 7:48
…Chavacano words mean "Do not Stare".
…was known for his intimidating stare and pumping his fist after…
…with his daughters as they stare up to the star that…

Examples are Wikipedia snippets under the CC ShareAlike 3.0 license. Definitions are drawn from WordNet.

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