ladder
gb/lˈædɚ/ us/lˈædɚ/
A2
Engleză
~ 9500
Sensuri
0 sensuri
Substantiv
A2
entity
1
portable frame with rungs
A thing with steps or rungs that you climb to reach a high place.
Tipar de utilizare:
a ladder against [something]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners sometimes say *stairs* when they mean a portable ladder, for example, "I used the stairs to fix the roof." Use *ladder* for something you can move and lean against a wall, and *stairs* or *staircase* for the fixed steps inside a building.
Sinonime
stairway (Usually a fixed set of steps inside a building, not a portable tool you can move like a ladder.)
Antonime
elevator (An opposite kind of device for changing height, because it lifts people automatically instead of being climbed.)
Colocații
climb a ladder
|a ladder against the wall
|set up a ladder
|fall off a ladder
|step on the ladder
|a rope ladder
Teme
daily life
|home
|work
|daily_life
Exemple
- He put the ladder against the tree to pick the apples.
- Please hold the ladder steady while I climb up.
- The painter fell from the ladder and hurt his arm.
- We used a long ladder to get onto the roof.
- The firefighters carried a ladder to reach the window on the third floor.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- The man climbs the ladder to fix the light.
- She needs a ladder to reach the top shelf.
- They put the ladder on the ground and open it.
- He stands on the ladder and paints the wall.
- Do not move the ladder when someone is on it.
Substantiv
B1
entity
2
series of levels or ranks
A line of levels or steps where you can go from a low level to a higher level, for example in your job or in society.
Tipar de utilizare:
the [career/social/corporate] ladder
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners sometimes confuse *ladder* in this sense with *level* or *stage*, saying things like "I moved to a higher stage in my career." While understandable, native speakers more often say "climb the career ladder" or "move up the ladder" when talking about long-term progress through ranks.
Sinonime
hierarchy (More formal and general; often used for the whole power structure in an organization rather than for a person's progress through it.)
Antonime
equality (A situation without higher and lower levels of power or status, which is the opposite of a ranked ladder structure.)
Colocații
career ladder
|corporate ladder
|social ladder
|climb the ladder
|move up the ladder
|bottom of the ladder
Teme
work
|society
|business
|education
Exemple
- She is slowly climbing the corporate ladder at her firm.
- Internships are often the first step on the career ladder.
- He started at the very bottom of the ladder and now manages the whole department.
- Many people feel stuck on the middle rungs of the social ladder.
- The team jumped to the top of the league ladder after their latest win.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- He wants to move up the career ladder.
- She began at the bottom of the ladder in this company.
- Money and education can change your place on the social ladder.
- They are near the top of the league ladder this year.
- Training can help workers climb the ladder faster.
Substantiv
B2
entity
3
long run in tights or stockings
A long line where tights or stockings are broken and the threads have come loose and run down or up.
Tipar de utilizare:
a ladder in [tights/stockings]
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners may not know that *ladder* has this clothing meaning and instead say only *a hole in my tights*. Also, American English speakers usually say *run in my tights*; *ladder* in this sense is more common in British English.
Sinonime
run (The usual term in American and much international English; *ladder* for this meaning is especially common in British English.)
Antonime
intact (Describes tights or fabric that are not damaged and have no ladder or run.)
Colocații
a ladder in my tights
|get a ladder in your stockings
|a ladder up the leg
|small ladder
|stop a ladder spreading
|repair a ladder
Teme
clothing
|daily life
|daily_life
Exemple
- I only noticed the ladder in my tights when I got to the office.
- She always keeps clear nail polish in her bag in case she gets a ladder in her stockings.
- There's a small ladder running from your ankle to your knee.
- The dress looked perfect, but there was a ladder in the sheer sleeve.
- She changed before the interview because she found a ladder in her black tights.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- There is a ladder in her tights.
- She buys new stockings because her old ones have a ladder.
- He sees a ladder in the thin sleeve of his shirt.
- She uses clear nail polish to stop the ladder.
- I cannot wear these tights; the ladder is very big.
Verb
B2
event
4
for fabric, to develop a ladder
When tights or stockings break in a line and the threads come loose and run down or up.
Tipar de utilizare:
[tights/stockings] ladder
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners sometimes say "my tights are laddered" when they mean the action just happened. Both "my tights laddered" (action) and "my tights are laddered" (state) are possible, but British English usually uses the simple past for the event.
Sinonime
run (In American English you normally say tights or stockings *run* rather than *ladder* when they develop this type of tear.)
Antonime
hold (In clothing marketing, tights that *hold* or *hold up well* do not tear or ladder easily.)
Colocații
my tights laddered
|ladder badly
|ladder easily
|ladder at the knee
|ladder up the leg
|start to ladder
Teme
clothing
|daily life
|daily_life
Exemple
- My new tights laddered before I even got to the party.
- These cheap stockings ladder as soon as you catch them on something.
- Her dress sleeve laddered when it rubbed against the rough table.
- The fabric has started to ladder near the seam.
- Be careful, or your tights will ladder on that sharp chair edge.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- Her tights laddered on the way to work.
- These stockings ladder very easily.
- My sleeve laddered when it hit the door.
- The thin fabric may ladder if you pull it.
- His tights ladder at the knee.
Substantiv
technical
C1
action
5
investment plan with staggered maturities
A way to invest money by buying many similar bonds or bank products that end at different times, so some money comes back to you at regular times.
Tipar de utilizare:
a [bond/CD] ladder
Greșeală frecventă:
Learners may think *ladder* here means a single financial product. It actually means the whole strategy or group of investments with different end dates.
Sinonime
staggered portfolio (Technical financial term; describes the same basic idea of spreading maturities but is less commonly used in everyday personal finance discussions.)
Antonime
bullet (In finance, a bullet portfolio or bullet strategy concentrates maturities around a single date, the opposite of a ladder with many different maturity dates.)
Colocații
bond ladder
|CD ladder
|build a ladder
|ladder strategy
|laddered portfolio
Teme
finance
|business
Exemple
- A simple bond ladder can reduce interest rate risk for conservative investors.
- They created a CD ladder so that one certificate matures every six months.
- Financial advisors often recommend a ladder for retirees who want steady access to cash.
- Her ladder of municipal bonds gives her tax‑free income every year.
- Building a ladder allows you to reinvest gradually as interest rates change.
Exemple pentru cursanți
- He builds a bond ladder for his savings.
- They use a CD ladder to get regular cash.
- A ladder can help spread investment risk.
- Her adviser suggests a ladder of short bonds.
- With a ladder, some bonds finish every year.
Gramatică
Forma de dicționar
ladder
IPA
GB/lˈædɚ/
US/lˈædɚ/
Silabe și accent
lad - der (2 silabe)
Stress on 1st syllable (lad)
Forme ale cuvântului
Noun
- Base: ladder
- Plural: ladders
Verb
- Base: ladder
- 3rd Person Singular: ladders
- Present Participle: laddering
- Past: laddered
Familie de cuvinte
Forms
ladders
noun
laddering
verb
laddered
verb
Related words
stepladder
noun
Expresii
at the bottom of the ladder
1/ˈæt ðə bˈɑtəm əv ðə lˈædɚ/
idiom
in the lowest position or rank
In the lowest level in a group, company, or society.
Exemple
- As a new hire, you start at the bottom of the ladder.
- People at the bottom of the ladder often feel their voices are not heard.
- He is still at the bottom of the ladder, but he has big ambitions.
at the top of the ladder
1/ˈæt ðə tˈɑp əv ðə lˈædɚ/
idiom
in the highest position or rank
In the highest level in a group, company, or society.
Exemple
- By forty, she was already at the top of the ladder in her field.
- Few athletes reach the very top of the ladder.
- He is now at the top of the ladder and makes all the key decisions.
climb the career ladder
1/klˈaɪm ðə kɚˈɪɹ lˈædɚ/
idiom
advance to higher job positions
To move to better, more important, or higher‑paid jobs step by step during your working life.
Exemple
- She is determined to climb the career ladder as quickly as possible.
- Many young professionals feel pressure to climb the career ladder instead of changing paths.
- He climbed the career ladder from junior assistant to regional director in ten years.
extension ladder
1/ɪkstˈɛnʃən lˈædɚ/
fixed phrase
long ladder that can extend
A long ladder that has parts which slide so it can become longer to reach high places.
Exemple
- The firefighters raised an extension ladder to the third floor.
- You’ll need an extension ladder to clean those upper windows.
- He stored the extension ladder along the side of the garage.
ladder of success
1/lˈædɚ əv səksˈɛs/
fixed phrase
series of levels of achievement
The idea that success has many steps, from small success at the bottom to great success at the top.
Exemple
- He sees each small win as a step on the ladder of success.
- Education is often described as the first rung on the ladder of success.
- Not everyone wants to climb the same ladder of success.
move up the ladder
1/mˈuv ˈʌp ðə lˈædɚ/
idiom
rise to a higher level or rank
To go to a higher position or level, for example in your job, in a company, or in society.
Exemple
- If you want to move up the ladder here, you need to show initiative.
- She moved up the ladder quickly thanks to her strong sales results.
- It can be hard to move up the ladder without the right connections.
pull up the ladder behind you
1/pˈʊl ˈʌp ðə lˈædɚ bɪhˈaɪnd jˈu/
idiom
prevent others from following your path
To reach a good position and then stop other people from getting the same help or chances that you had.
Exemple
- Many students felt the government had pulled up the ladder behind them by cutting grants.
- He benefited from cheap education, then pulled up the ladder behind him by voting to raise fees.
- Critics say the new rules pull up the ladder behind successful immigrants.
rope ladder
1/ɹˈoʊp lˈædɚ/
fixed phrase
ladder made of ropes and rungs
A light ladder made of ropes and small steps, often used on boats or for climbing down walls.
Exemple
- They lowered a rope ladder from the helicopter.
- The children climbed the rope ladder on the playground.
- A rope ladder hung over the side of the ship.
social ladder
1/sˈoʊʃəl lˈædɚ/
fixed phrase
levels of social status
The different levels of social position in society, from low status to high status.
Exemple
- He married into a wealthy family to move up the social ladder.
- Education can help people climb the social ladder.
- In some cultures, the social ladder is very hard to climb.
step ladder
1/stˈɛp lˈædɚ/
fixed phrase
short folding A‑shaped ladder
A short ladder that opens in the shape of an "A" and can stand by itself, often used inside a house.
Exemple
- She stood on a step ladder to change the curtains.
- We keep a small step ladder in the kitchen for the high cupboards.
- Use a step ladder instead of a chair; it's safer.
work your way up the ladder
1/wˈɚk jˈʊɹ wˈeɪ ˈʌp ðə lˈædɚ/
idiom
slowly progress to higher levels
To slowly get better jobs or positions by working hard for many years, starting from a low level.
Exemple
- He worked his way up the ladder from warehouse worker to operations manager.
- Most people have to work their way up the ladder; they don’t start at the top.
- She worked her way up the ladder instead of jumping between companies.
corporate ladder
1/kˈɔɹpɚɪt lˈædɚ/
fixed phrase
Company career progression system
The steps you go through to get better jobs in a company.
Exemple
- She is quickly climbing the corporate ladder.
- She spent most of her thirties trying to climb the corporate ladder.
- Many employees hope to move up the corporate ladder over time.
- The corporate ladder in this firm is very rigid and traditional.
- Not everyone wants to be on the corporate ladder; some people prefer to be freelancers.