stage

any distinct time period in a sequence of events; "we are in a transitional stage in which many former ideas must be revised or rejected"

a specific identifiable position in a continuum or series or especially in a process; "a remarkable degree of frankness"; "at what stage are the social sciences?"

a large platform on which people can stand and can be seen by an audience; "he clambered up onto the stage and got the actors to help him into the box"

the theater as a profession (usually `the stage'); "an early movie simply showed a long kiss by two actors of the contemporary stage"

a large coach-and-four formerly used to carry passengers and mail on regular routes between towns; "we went out of town together by stage about ten or twelve miles"

a section or portion of a journey or course; "then we embarked on the second stage of our Caribbean cruise"

any scene regarded as a setting for exhibiting or doing something; "All the world's a stage"--Shakespeare; "it set the stage for peaceful negotiations"

a small platform on a microscope where the specimen is mounted for examination

perform (a play), especially on a stage; "we are going to stage `Othello'"

plan, organize, and carry out (an event); "the neighboring tribe staged an invasion"