1a piece of equipment for climbing up and down a wall, the side of a building, etc, consisting of two lengths of wood or metal that are joined together by steps or rungsto climb up/fall off a ladder see also stepladder2[usually singular]a series of stages by which you can make progress in your life or careerto move up or down the social ladderthe career ladder (British English) to get onto the property ladder(= buy your first home)3(British English) (North American Englishrun)a long thin hole in tights or stockings where some threads have broken4 (alsoladder tournament)a competition in a particular sport or game in which teams or players are arranged in a list and they can move up the list by defeating one of the teams or players aboveHe's third on the tennis ladder at work.
ˈlædə(r)
ˈlædər