Adjacent Words

Stage definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

STAGE, n. [G.] Properly, one step or degree of elevation, and what the French call etage, we call a story. Hence,
1. A floor or platform of any kind elevated above the ground or common surface, as for an exhibition of something to pubic view; as a stage for a mountebank; a stage for speakers in public; a stage for mechanics. Seamen use floating stages, and stages suspended by the side of a ship, for calking and repairing.
2. The floor on which theatrical performances are exhibited, as distinct from the pit, etc. Hence,
3. The theater; the place of scenic entertainments.
Knights, squires and steeds must enter on the stage.
4. Theatrical representations. It is contended that the stage is a school or morality. Let it be inquired, where is the person whom the stage has reformed?
5. A place where any thing is publicly exhibited.
When we are born, we cry that we are come to this great stage of fools.
6. Place of action or performance; as the stage of life.
7. A place of rest on a journey, or where a relay of horses is taken. When we arrive at the next stage, we will take some refreshment. Hence,
8. The distance between two places of rest on a road; as a stage of fifteen miles.
9. A single step; degree of advance; degree of progression, either in increase or decrease, in rising or falling, or in any change of state; as the several stages of a war; the stages of civilization or improvement; stages of growth in an animal or plant; stages of a disease, of decline or recovery; the several stages of human life.
10. [instead of stage-coach, or stage-wagon.] A coach or other carriage running regularly from one place to another for the conveyance of passengers.
I went in the six-penny stage.
A parcel sent by the stage. American usage.
STAGE, v.t. To exhibit publicly. [Not in use.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: any distinct time period in a sequence of events; "we are in a transitional stage in which many former ideas must be revised or rejected" [syn: phase, stage]
2: a specific identifiable position in a continuum or series or especially in a process; "a remarkable degree of frankness"; "at what stage are the social sciences?" [syn: degree, level, stage, point]
3: a large platform on which people can stand and can be seen by an audience; "he clambered up onto the stage and got the actors to help him into the box"
4: the theater as a profession (usually `the stage'); "an early movie simply showed a long kiss by two actors of the contemporary stage"
5: a large coach-and-four formerly used to carry passengers and mail on regular routes between towns; "we went out of town together by stage about ten or twelve miles" [syn: stagecoach, stage]
6: a section or portion of a journey or course; "then we embarked on the second stage of our Caribbean cruise" [syn: stage, leg]
7: any scene regarded as a setting for exhibiting or doing something; "All the world's a stage"--Shakespeare; "it set the stage for peaceful negotiations"
8: a small platform on a microscope where the specimen is mounted for examination [syn: stage, microscope stage] v
1: perform (a play), especially on a stage; "we are going to stage `Othello'" [syn: stage, present, represent]
2: plan, organize, and carry out (an event); "the neighboring tribe staged an invasion" [syn: stage, arrange]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French estage abode, story of a building, state, from Vulgar Latin *staticum, from Latin stare to stand — more at stand Date: 14th century 1. a. one of a series of positions or stations one above the other ; step b. the height of the surface of a river above an arbitrary zero point <flood stage> 2. a. (1) a raised platform (2) the part of a theater on which the acting takes place and which often includes the wings (3) the acting profession ; the theater as an occupation or activity (4) soundstage b. a center of attention or scene of action 3. a. a scaffold for workmen b. the small platform of a microscope on which an object is placed for examination 4. a. a place of rest formerly provided for those traveling by stagecoach ; station b. the distance between two stopping places on a road c. stagecoach 5. a. a period or step in a progress, activity, or development: as (1) one of the distinguishable periods of growth and development of a plant or animal <the larval stage of an insect> (2) a period or phase in the course of a disease; also the degree of involvement or severity of a disease b. one passing through a (specified) stage 6. an element or part of an electronic device (as an amplifier) 7. one of two or more sections of a rocket that have their own fuel and engine • stageful noun • stagelike adjective II. transitive verb (staged; staging) Date: 1879 1. to produce (as a play) on a stage 2. to produce or cause to happen for public view or public effect <stage a track meet> <stage a hunger strike> 3. to determine the phase or severity of (a disease) based on a classification of established symptomatic criteria; also to evaluate (a patient) to determine the phase, severity, or progression of a disease • stageable adjective III. adjective Date: 1824 intended to represent a type or stereotype <a stage Irishman> <a stage French accent>

U.S. Military Dictionary

(*) 1. An element of the missile or propulsion system that generally separates from the missile at burnout or cut-off. Stages are numbered chronologically in order of burning. 2. To process, in a specified area, troops which are in transit from one locality to another. See also marshalling; staging area.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a point or period in a process or development (reached a critical stage; is in the larval stage). 2 a a raised floor or platform, esp. one on which plays etc. are performed before an audience. b (prec. by the) the acting or theatrical profession, dramatic art or literature, the drama. c the scene of action (the stage of politics). d = landing-stage. 3 a a regular stopping-place on a route. b the distance between two stopping-places. c Brit. = fare-stage. 4 Astronaut. a section of a rocket with a separate engine, jettisoned when its propellant is exhausted. 5 Geol. a range of strata forming a subdivision of a series. 6 Electronics a single amplifying transistor or valve with the associated equipment. 7 the surface on which an object is placed for inspection through a microscope. --v.tr. 1 present (a play etc.) on stage. 2 arrange the occurrence of (staged a demonstration; staged a comeback). Phrases and idioms: go on the stage become an actor. hold the stage dominate a conversation etc. stage direction an instruction in the text of a play as to the movement, position, tone, etc., of an actor, or sound effects etc. stage door an actors' and workmen's entrance from the street to a theatre behind the stage. stage effect 1 an effect produced in acting or on the stage. 2 an artificial or theatrical effect produced in real life. stage fright nervousness on facing an audience esp. for the first time. stage-hand a person handling scenery etc. during a performance on stage. stage left (or right) on the left (or right) side of the stage, facing the audience. stage-manage 1 be the stage-manager of. 2 arrange and control for effect. stage-management the job or craft of a stage-manager. stage-manager the person responsible for lighting and other mechanical arrangements for a play etc. stage name a name assumed for professional purposes by an actor. stage play a play performed on stage rather than broadcast etc. stage rights exclusive rights to perform a particular play. stage-struck filled with an inordinate desire to go on the stage. stage whisper 1 an aside. 2 a loud whisper meant to be heard by others than the person addressed. Derivatives: stageable adj. stageability n. stager n. Etymology: ME f. OF estage dwelling ult. f. L stare stand

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Stage Stage, n. [OF. estage, F. ['e]tage, (assumed) LL. staticum, from L. stare to stand. See Stand, and cf. Static.] 1. A floor or story of a house. [Obs.] --Wyclif. 2. An elevated platform on which an orator may speak, a play be performed, an exhibition be presented, or the like. 3. A floor elevated for the convenience of mechanical work, or the like; a scaffold; a staging. 4. A platform, often floating, serving as a kind of wharf. 5. The floor for scenic performances; hence, the theater; the playhouse; hence, also, the profession of representing dramatic compositions; the drama, as acted or exhibited.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Stage Stage, v. t. To exhibit upon a stage, or as upon a stage; to display publicly. --Shak.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(stages, staging, staged) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. A stage of an activity, process, or period is one part of it. The way children talk about or express their feelings depends on their age and stage of development... Mr Cook has arrived in Greece on the final stage of a tour which also included Egypt and Israel. N-COUNT: usu with supp 2. In a theatre, the stage is an area where actors or other entertainers perform. I went on stage and did my show. N-COUNT: also on N 3. You can refer to acting and the production of plays in a theatre as the stage. He was the first comedian I ever saw on the stage. N-SING: the N 4. If someone stages a play or other show, they organize and present a performance of it. Maya Angelou first staged the play 'And I Still Rise' in the late 1970s. = put on VERB: V n 5. If you stage an event or ceremony, you organize it and usually take part in it. Russian workers have staged a number of strikes in protest at the republic's declaration of independence... = hold VERB: V n 6. You can refer to a particular area of activity as a particular stage, especially when you are talking about politics. He was finally forced off the political stage last year by the deterioration of his physical condition... = arena N-SING: usu supp N 7. to set the stage: see set

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Platform. 2. Platform, scaffold, staging. 3. Theatre, playhouse. 4. Drama. 5. Arena, place of exhibition, field, platform, boards, theatre. 6. Station, stagehouse, halting-place. 7. Step, degree, point. 8. Stage-coach, omnibus, stage-carriage, stage-wagon, diligence.

Moby Thesaurus

Broadway, L, R, acting, acting area, agora, amphitheater, apron, apron stage, arena, athletic field, auditorium, autobus, back, backdrop, background, backstage, balcony, band, band shell, bandstand, be a gas, be a hit, bear garden, bed, bedding, belt, bill, board, boards, bomb, bowl, boxing ring, bridge, bring out, bull ring, burlesque, bus, cab, campus, canvas, carnival, caste, catafalque, chartered bus, circus, class, cockpit, coliseum, colosseum, concoct, condition, contrive, couche, coulisse, course, dais, day, deck, devise, diligence, distance, division, do, dock, double-decker, drama, dramatize, dressing room, echafaudage, echelon, emplacement, entertainment industry, estrade, execute, exhibit, fail, fake, fateful moment, feature, field, flies, floor, flop, fly floor, fly gallery, footing, footlights, forestage, forum, gallery, give, grade, greenroom, grid, gridiron, ground, gym, gymnasium, hack, hall, headline, heliport, hierarchy, hinterland, hippodrome, hired car, hour, hustings, instant, interval, jitney, juncture, kairos, landing, landing pad, landing stage, lap, launching pad, layer, ledge, legit, legitimate stage, level, lightboard, lists, locale, mail coach, make a hit, make up, manipulate, marketplace, mat, measures, melodramatize, milieu, minute, mise-en-scene, moment, moment of truth, motor coach, motorbus, mount, notch, off Broadway, off-off-Broadway, omnibus, open, open a show, open forum, orchestra, orchestra pit, order, organize, originate, overlayer, overstory, palaestra, parade ground, perform, performing area, period, phase, pit, place, platform, play, playland, podium, point, position, post coach, power structure, precedence, precinct, pregnant moment, premiere, present, preview, prize ring, produce, proscenium, proscenium stage, psychological moment, public square, pulpit, purlieu, put on, range, rank, rate, rating, rear, repertory drama, ring, rostrum, rung, scaffold, scaffolding, scenarize, scene, scene of action, scenery, seam, season, set the stage, setting, shelf, shell, show, show biz, show business, site, situation, soapbox, space, span, spell, sphere, spot, squared circle, stadium, stage left, stage right, stage set, stage setting, stage world, stagecoach, stagedom, stageland, staging, standing, star, station, status, step, step terrace, stock, story, stratum, strawhat, strawhat circuit, stretch, stump, substratum, succeed, summer stock, superstratum, switchboard, taxi, taxicab, terrace, terrain, the boards, the footlights, the scenes, the stage, the theater, theater, theater world, theatricalize, theatromania, theatrophobia, thickness, tier, tilting ground, tiltyard, time, time lag, topsoil, tribunal, tribune, trump up, try out, underlayer, understory, understratum, variety, vaudeville, walk, while, wings, wrestling ring, zone