stage
stage
Pronunciation
stage: /steɪdʒ/
/s/ - voiceless alveolar fricative
/t/ - voiceless alveolar stop
/eɪ/ - diphthong (as in "day" or "play")
/dʒ/ - voiced postalveolar affricate (as in "jump" or "badge")
Word Form Variations
Singular Noun: stage
Plural Noun: stages
Verb (base form): stage
Verb (third-person singular present): stages
Verb (present participle): staging
Verb (past tense/past participle): staged
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
A raised platform, usually in a theater, hall, or arena, where performances, speeches, or other public events take place.
Synonyms: platform, podium, dais, rostrum, arena
Antonyms: audience, offstage, backstage
A specific period or phase in a process, development, or course of events.
Synonyms: phase, step, level, period, juncture, point
Antonyms: beginning, end, whole, entirety
An area or scene where a particular activity or event occurs.
Synonyms: setting, scene, arena, backdrop, sphere
Antonyms: periphery, background, unseen
Verb
To present a play, concert, or other performance to an audience.
Synonyms: perform, present, produce, put on, enact
Antonyms: cancel, withdraw, hide, suppress
To plan, organize, and carry out an event or action.
Synonyms: organize, arrange, orchestrate, contrive, execute
Antonyms: improvise, unplanned, spontaneous, abandon, disrupt
Examples of Use
Books: "The actors gathered backstage, preparing for their entrance onto the grand stage." (From a novel about theater life)
Newspapers: "The government is considering a new policy that could mark a critical stage in the nation's economic recovery." (Source: The New York Times)
Online Publications: "Scientists announced today that they have reached a new stage in the development of a quantum computer, with promising initial test results." (Source: Wired.com)
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Film: In the movie Birdman, the protagonist, Riggan Thomson, struggles to regain his former glory on the Broadway stage.
Music: A review of a live concert might state, "The band's energy on stage was infectious, captivating the audience from the first note." (Source: Pitchfork)
Television: In a reality competition show, a judge might tell a contestant, "You really need to own the stage if you want to win this."
Video Games: A character in a video game might say, "We need to clear this stage to advance to the next level."
Streaming Platform (e.g., Netflix): A documentary might explain, "The final stage of the investigation involved piecing together disparate clues to form a coherent narrative."
General Public Discourse:
"We're entering a crucial stage of negotiations, and every decision matters." (Comment by a political analyst on a news program)
"The kids love to stage little plays for us in the living room, complete with costumes."
"I think her career is at a pivotal stage right now; she needs to make the right moves."
10 Quotes Using Stage
"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages." (William Shakespeare, As You Like It)
"The stage is not merely the meeting place of all the arts, but is also the return of art to life." (Oscar Wilde)
"When we are born, we cry that we are come to this great stage of fools." (William Shakespeare, King Lear)
"The world is a stage, but the play is badly cast." (Oscar Wilde)
"My friends joke that I'm dead until I get onstage. I'm dead right now as you're speaking to me." (Lady Gaga)
"Nothing is perfect on the human stage." (Winston Churchill)
"Movies will make you famous; Television will make you rich; But theatre will make you good." (Terrence Mann, referring to the theatrical stage)
"If life is a stage, that is the show." (Anne Carson)
"Writing is the dancing of the mind on a stage called paper." (Debasish Mridha)
"The really important 'great' things are never center stage of life's dramas; they're always 'in the wings'." (Fred Rogers)
Etymology
The word "stage" comes to us from Old French, specifically "estage," which meant things like "dwelling, residence," or a "position, situation, or condition." This Old French word, in turn, came from "ester," meaning "to be standing" or "to be located."
So, you can see the core idea behind "stage" is about a "standing place" or something to "stand on."
The earliest known uses of "stage" in English, around the early 1300s, referred to a "horizontal division of a structure," like a floor or story of a building. Shortly after, in the late 1300s, it started to be used for a "raised platform used for public display," which is where we get the meaning of a "stage" for performances. This meaning connects directly to the idea of a place where something is publicly shown or acted out, a "standing place" for a show.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Stage
Here's a list of phrases and idioms using "stage":
Set the stage: To prepare for something; to create the conditions for an event or situation to happen.
Center stage: The most prominent or important position; the focus of attention.
Go on stage: To begin a performance, typically in theatre or music.
Backstage: Behind the stage, especially in a theatre; refers to the private or unseen aspects of an operation.
Off stage: Not on the stage; also used to refer to events or activities not directly part of the main action.
Stage fright: Nervousness felt by a person about to appear in front of an audience.
The world's a stage: A philosophical idiom suggesting life is like a theatrical performance.
A stage whisper: A loud whisper intended to be heard by others, often for dramatic effect.
Stage a comeback: To return to prominence or success after a period of decline.
Stage a protest/demonstration: To organize and carry out a public display of disapproval.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of stage from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
