a 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 rungs 梯子 
to climb up/fall off a ladder 爬上／跌下梯子
Extra ExamplesTopics Houses and homesb2, Buildingsb2He went up the ladder onto the deck. 他沿着梯子上了甲板。 I was standing lower down the ladder. 我正站在梯子下端。 Several of the ladder's rungs were broken. 這架梯子有好幾根橫檔斷了。 She was up a ladder fixing the roof. 她在梯子上修理房頂。 We put up the ladder against the wall. 我們把梯子靠牆支起來。 We put up the ladder and went to get the paint. 我們支好梯子，去拿油漆。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- rickety
- metal
- wooden
- …
- ascend
- clamber up
- climb
- …
- on a/the ladder
- up a/the ladder
- down a/the ladder
- …
- the bottom of a ladder
- the foot of a ladder
- the top of a ladder
- …
- [usually singular]
a series of stages by which you can make progress in your life or career （生活上進步或事業上晉升的）階梯，途徑 to move up or down the social ladder 爬上或跌下社會階梯 the career ladder 事業上的階梯 - (British English)
to get onto the property ladder (= buy your first home) 首次購房
Extra ExamplesHis good looks helped him on the ladder to success. 他的英俊長相幫助他踏上了成功的階梯。 She was anxious to move up the promotion ladder. 她渴望得到晉升。 creatures higher up the evolutionary ladder 處於進化較高階段的生物 helping her on the ladder to success 幫助她踏上通向成功的途徑 the ladder of fame 成名的階梯 the old problem of how to get onto the first step on the ladder 如何踏上晉升階梯的第一步這一老問題 the people at the top of the social ladder 處於社會最上層的人 Ann is on the bottom rung of the promotional ladder. 安在晉升階梯的最底層。 He progressed up the ladder and is now a partner in the firm. 他步步高升，現在是公司的合夥人。 How quickly you move up the career ladder depends largely on your level of commitment. 你在事業階梯上晉升的快慢主要取決於你對工作的投入程度。 Humans are relative newcomers on the evolutionary ladder. 人類是進化階梯上相對較新的物種。 I started out at the very bottom of the ladder. 我從最底層開始。 It is increasingly difficult for young people to get on the housing ladder. 年輕人越來越難登上住房階梯。 She was not interested in climbing the corporate ladder. 她無意在公司裏往上爬。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- economic
- evolutionary
- social
- …
- ascend
- climb
- move up
- …
- higher up the ladder
- lower down the ladder
- ladder of
- …
- get one foot on the ladder
- have one foot on the ladder
- a rung on the ladder
- …
- (British English) (North American English run)
a long, thin hole in tights or stockings where some threads have broken （緊身褲襪或長筒襪的）滑絲，抽絲 I've got a ladder in my new tights. 我的新緊身衣裏有一個梯子。
- (also ladder 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 above 升級比賽，升級遊戲（將參賽者排名，勝者名次前提） He’s third on the tennis ladder at work. 他是工作中的第三名。
Word OriginOld English hlǣd(d)er, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch leer and German Leiter.