a piece of equipment consisting of two vertical bars or pieces of rope joined at the top and bottom, with a series of horizontal bars or rungs connecting them, used for climbing up or down something, a series of ascending stages by which someone may progress to a higher level of authority, status, or income

climb the ladder, top of the ladder, kick the ladder out from under someone

ladder stitch, ladder match, ladder logic

Formal and Informal Expressions of ladder

In different contexts, you can replace 'ladder' with suitable alternatives. In a more formal setting, 'staircase, escalator' is apt. In informal speech or writing, 'steps' is a commonplace synonym.

ladder: Explore its Definition & Usage

ladder Definition

1a piece of equipment consisting of two vertical bars or pieces of rope joined at the top and bottom, with a series of horizontal bars or rungs connecting them, used for climbing up or down something
2a series of ascending stages by which someone may progress to a higher level of authority, status, or income

Using ladder: Examples

Take a moment to familiarize yourself with how "ladder" can be used in various situations through the following examples!

Example
He climbed up the ladder to reach the roof.
Example
She used a ladder to pick apples from the tree.
Example
The company has a clear career ladder for its employees.
Example
He started as an intern and worked his way up the corporate ladder.

ladder Synonyms and Antonyms

Synonyms for ladder

Idioms Using ladder

climb the ladder
to gradually progress to a higher level of authority, status, or income
Example
She worked hard to climb the ladder in her company.
top of the ladder
the highest level of authority, status, or income
Example
He reached the top of the ladder in his field after years of hard work.
kick the ladder out from under someone
to remove support or opportunities from someone who is trying to progress
Example
He felt like his boss had kicked the ladder out from under him when he didn't get the promotion.

Phrases with ladder

ladder stitch
a sewing technique used to join two pieces of fabric together invisibly
Example
She used a ladder stitch to hem the dress.
ladder match
a type of professional wrestling match where the winner must climb a ladder to retrieve a prize suspended above the ring
Example
The ladder match at WrestleMania was one of the most exciting matches of the night.
ladder logic
a programming language used to program industrial programmable logic controllers (PLCs)
Example
He used ladder logic to program the assembly line.

Origins of ladder

from Old English 'hlǣder'

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Summary: ladder in Brief

A 'ladder' [ˈlædər] is a piece of equipment used for climbing up or down something, consisting of two vertical bars or pieces of rope joined by horizontal bars or rungs. It can also refer to a series of stages by which someone may progress to a higher level of authority, status, or income. Examples include 'He climbed up the ladder to reach the roof.' and 'The company has a clear career ladder for its employees.' Idioms like 'climb the ladder' denote gradual progress, while 'kick the ladder out from under someone' implies removing support or opportunities.