What does "stage" mean?
A phase.
Stage
/steɪd͡ʒ/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A phase.
- Grammar: stage is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: level, phase, achieve, acting.
- Useful contrasts: unstaged, abort, auditorium.
- Usage evidence: At this stage there is still not a clear energy policy for bringing decentralised power to rural areas.
How to use "stage"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "stage" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "stage" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "stage" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "stage" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "stage" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "level" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "stage", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A phase.
"He is in the recovery stage of his illness."
- 2 An unpaid internship in a restaurant where a cook or chef is exposed to new culinary techniques.
"It doesn’t matter that recent reporting on the stage economy of Copenhagen […] has revealed a pattern of abuse and dangerous working conditions for unpaid interns. In “The Bear,” the stage is a dream: Marcus’s tasks are simply to learn from a skilled but kind and patient mentor, to get out and about and feel inspired, and to come up with some new dishes of his own."
- 3 a section or portion of a journey or course wordnet
- 4 One of the portions of a device (such as a rocket or thermonuclear weapon) which are used or activated in a particular order, one after another. broadly
"The first stage of the launcher burned out and separated after successfully boosting the payload onto a suborbital trajectory, but the engine of the upper stage failed to ignite to place the satellite into orbit."
- 5 a large platform on which people can stand and can be seen by an audience wordnet
Show 21 more definitions
- 6 A platform; a surface, generally elevated, upon which show performances or other public events are given.
"The band returned to the stage to play an encore."
- 7 a small platform on a microscope where the specimen is mounted for examination wordnet
- 8 A floor or storey of a house.
- 9 a large coach-and-four formerly used to carry passengers and mail on regular routes between towns wordnet
- 10 A floor elevated for the convenience of mechanical work, etc.; scaffolding; staging.
- 11 the theater as a profession (usually ‘the stage’) wordnet
- 12 A platform, often floating, serving as a kind of wharf.
- 13 any scene regarded as a setting for exhibiting or doing something wordnet
- 14 A stagecoach, an enclosed horsedrawn carriage used to carry passengers; the service that such coaches provide; a company that operates such service.
"The stage pulled into town carrying the payroll for the mill and three ladies."
- 15 a specific identifiable position in a continuum or series or especially in a process wordnet
- 16 A place of rest on a regularly travelled road; a station, way station; a place appointed for a relay of horses. dated
- 17 any distinct time period in a sequence of events wordnet
- 18 A degree of advancement in a journey; one of several portions into which a road or course is marked off; the distance between two places of rest on a road. dated
"a stage of ten miles"
- 19 The number of an electronic circuit’s block, such as a filter, an amplifier, etc.
"a 3-stage cascade of a 2nd-order bandpass Butterworth filter"
- 20 The place on a microscope where the slide is located for viewing.
"He placed the slide on the stage."
- 21 A level; one of the areas making up the game.
"How do you get past the flying creatures in the third stage?"
- 22 A place where anything is publicly exhibited, or a remarkable affair occurs; the scene.
"When we are born, we cry that we are come / To this stage of fools."
- 23 The succession of rock strata laid down in a single age on the geologic time scale.
- 24 An internship. Canada, Quebec
- 25 The notional space within which stereo sounds are positioned, determining where they will appear to come from when played back.
"This way, we simply stretch the image of a monophonic sound across a wider area on the stereo stage and create an altogether bigger impression."
- 26 The profession of an actor. metonymically, uncountable, with-definite-article
"In other professions in which men engage / (Said I to myself, said I), / The Army, the Navy, the Church and the Stage / (Said I to myself, said I)"
Verb
- 1 To produce on a stage, to perform a play. transitive
"The local theater group will stage "Pride and Prejudice"."
- 2 To work as an unpaid intern in a restaurant. intransitive
"I’ve been chosen to stage at Coloniál, the Michelin-starred restaurant that I will one day lie about running. Stage is restaurant-speak for free labor, but I’m unconcerned."
- 3 plan, organize, and carry out (an event) wordnet
- 4 To demonstrate in a deceptive manner.
"The salesman's demonstration of the new cleanser was staged to make it appear highly effective."
- 5 perform (a play), especially on a stage wordnet
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 To orchestrate; to carry out. transitive
"The workers staged a strike."
- 7 To place in position to prepare for use. transitive
"We staged the cars to be ready for the start, then waited for the starter to drop the flag."
- 8 To determine what stage (a disease, etc.) has progressed to transitive
"One method of documenting a wound is as follows: (1) stage the ulcer, time present, setting where occurred; (2) describe the location anatomically; (3) measure ulcer in centimeters (length × width × base); […]"
- 9 To jettison a spent stage of a multistage rocket or other launch vehicle and light the engine(s) of the stage above it.
"In Kerbal Space Program, you stage away used-up parts of your rocket by hitting the spacebar."
- 10 To work an internship, usually as a chef or waiter. Canada, US, intransitive
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Antonyms
Example
"At this stage there is still not a clear energy policy for bringing decentralised power to rural areas."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "stage"?
Common synonyms include: level, phase, achieve, acting, acting area, agora.
How do you use "stage" in a sentence?
At this stage there is still not a clear energy policy for bringing decentralised power to rural areas.
How do you pronounce "stage"?
Pronounced /steɪd͡ʒ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English stage, from Old French estage (“dwelling, residence; position, situation, condition”), from Old French ester (“to be standing, be located”). Cognate with Old English stæþþan (“to make staid, stay”), Old Norse steðja (“to place, provide, confirm, allow”), Old English stede (“state, status, standing, place, station, site”). More at stead. Doublet of étage.
Etymology 2
Borrowed from French stage (“internship”).