ladder

laddernoun

A ladder is a set of steps one above another, or something that looks or works like one.

1. for climbinga piece of equipment for climbing up or down, made of two long pieces of wood or metal joined by short bars

   countable [C]

   • He climbed the ladder to fix the roof.
   • Can you hold the ladder while I go up?
   • She fell off a ladder and hurt her arm.
   • The ladder was leaning against the wall.

   Collocations

   verb + noun climb a ladder, go up a ladder, come down a ladder, hold a ladder

   verb + preposition fall off a ladder

   noun + noun rope ladder

2. levelsa series of levels, especially in a job or in society, that a person can move up or down

   countable [C] usually singular [usu sing]

   • She worked her way up the ladder to become manager.
   • New workers start on the bottom step of the ladder.
   • He was more interested in his family than in climbing the career ladder.

   Collocations

   noun + noun the career ladder, the social ladder, the corporate ladder

   verb + noun climb the ladder, move up the ladder

   phrase at the top of the ladder, at the bottom of the ladder

3. in tightsa long line in tights where the cloth has broken

   countable [C] British

   • I've got a ladder in my tights.
   • She noticed a ladder in her stockings just before the meeting.

   Collocations

   phrase a ladder in your tights

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