ladders
n. countablen. pieces of equipment used for climbing up or down. They usually have two long side pieces with several steps, called rungs, fixed between them.
n. structures consisting of two long sidepieces joined at intervals by rungs, used for ascending or descending. Often used in the plural to refer to the equipment generally or to multiple units.
The painters used tall ladders to reach the ceiling.
Firefighters quickly set up their ladders against the side of the burning building to reach the trapped residents.
Safety regulations require that all industrial ladders be inspected for structural integrity and slip-resistant footing before being deployed on a construction site.
The plural form 'ladders' is used for multiple pieces of equipment or metaphorically in 'snakes and ladders'.