A portable set of steps.

a folding portable ladder hinged at the top

a ladder with four legs that is self-supporting and does not need to be leaned against a wall

A competition in which lower qualifiers bowl for the right to bowl against the next highest qualifier.

Three consecutive games in a series that increase by one pin each game; i.e., 145-146-147 is a stepladder series; also, a type of competition that ends an event whereby the lowest seeded player among those remaining plays against the next higher seed, with the winner advancing to face the next higher seed; this continues until the championship is decided against the number one seeded player or team.