A ladder is a piece of equipment used for climbing up something or down from something. It consists of two long pieces of wood, metal, or rope with steps fixed between them.

You can use the ladder to refer to something such as a society, organization, or system which has different levels that people can progress up or drop down.

A ladder is a hole or torn part in a woman's stocking or tights, where some of the vertical threads have broken, leaving only the horizontal threads.