steer

1 of 4

noun (1)

1
: a male bovine animal and especially a domestic ox (Bos taurus) castrated before sexual maturity compare stag sense 3
2
: an ox less than four years old

steer

2 of 4

verb

steered; steering; steers

transitive verb

1
: to control the course of : direct
especially : to guide by mechanical means (such as a rudder)
2
: to set and hold to (a course)

intransitive verb

1
: to direct the course (as of a ship or automobile)
2
: to pursue a course of action
3
: to be subject to steering
the car steers well
steerable adjective
steerer noun

steer

3 of 4

noun (2)

: a hint as to procedure : tip

steer

4 of 4

dialectal British variant of stir

Phrases
steer clear
: to keep entirely away
often used with of
tries to steer clear of debt
Choose the Right Synonym for steer

guide, lead, steer, pilot, engineer mean to direct in a course or show the way to be followed.

guide implies intimate knowledge of the way and of all its difficulties and dangers.

guided the scouts through the cave

lead implies showing the way and often keeping those that follow under control and in order.

led his team to victory

steer implies an ability to keep to a course and stresses the capacity of maneuvering correctly.

steered the ship through a narrow channel

pilot suggests guidance over a dangerous or complicated course.

piloted the bill through the Senate

engineer implies finding ways to avoid or overcome difficulties in achieving an end or carrying out a plan.

engineered his son's election to the governorship

Examples of steer in a Sentence

Verb She steered the ship through the strait. He steered his car carefully into the parking space. He steered the wheelchair through the aisles. Skillful navigators can steer by the positions of the stars. The car was steering right at us. The boat steered out to sea. He tried to steer the conversation away from his recent problems. She skillfully steered the bill through the legislature. He steered the team to another championship last year. The high recent returns on stocks have steered many investors away from bonds.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Blanchard said the steer will be raised for protein. Noah Alcala Bach, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Feb. 2024 Two years before that, a steer escaped a slaughterhouse and wandered around Newark before it was captured and sent to a sanctuary, NBC reported. Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 15 Dec. 2023 Ryan O’Meara brought his black Angus steer named Ace to the Carroll County Agriculture Center in Westminster Friday for the annual 4-H Beef Weigh-in. Thomas Goodwin Smith, Baltimore Sun, 8 Jan. 2024 Last year O’Meara’s steer won for rate of gain at the county fair. Thomas Goodwin Smith, Baltimore Sun, 8 Jan. 2024 One officer, Ricardo, led Stura to the sleeping steer. Danielle Paquette, Washington Post, 20 Dec. 2023 Those 10-inch wheels and 165-millimeter tires, plus a small Momo steering wheel and minimal weight that might increase linear momentum, all combine to produce an unbelievable amount of torque steer. Michael Teo Van Runkle, Ars Technica, 17 Nov. 2023 ProPublica found that another worker had accidentally run Jefferson over with a skid steer, a piece of machinery used to clear manure off barn floors. Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, 10 Nov. 2023 Crews are setting up a skid steer to clear a path to access the additional 11 animals. Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2023
Verb
In that time, the video game controller steered sub-vessel had a series of mishaps and was likened to a suicide mission by one of the company’s first customers. Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024 After flirting last year with his own 2024 presidential bid, Youngkin seemed to offer Republicans a new path that played to the MAGA base but steered away from Trump’s rough edges. Gregory S. Schneider, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024 Ronnie would prove to be more than a replacement vocalist, altering the sound and lyrical content to steer Black Sabbath into exciting new territory. Paul Fitzgerald, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2024 Alexandra Hancock, the lead Sheriff’s investigator, helping to steer the investigation away from himself. Gene Maddaus, Variety, 4 Mar. 2024 The administration's approach has been to pair crackdowns at the border with increasing legal pathways for migrants designed to steer people into arriving by plane with sponsors, not illegally on foot to the border. Seung Min Kim, arkansasonline.com, 1 Mar. 2024 Technology leader plays a crucial role in steering the ship of innovation towards success by providing vision and direction needed to chart a course for the new technology program. Rosalba Carandente, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 And Byju’s first-ever CFO, who was supposed to steer the startup through financial tumult, resigned in October after six months on the job. Pallavi Pundir, Fortune Asia, 1 Mar. 2024 At the same time, tech industry groups are trying to steer members of Congress toward different legislative solutions, as many remain opposed to KOSA. Lauren Feiner, The Verge, 29 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'steer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English stēor young ox; akin to Old High German stior young ox

Verb

Middle English steren, from Old English stīeran; akin to Old English stēor- steering oar, Greek stauros stake, cross, stylos pillar, Sanskrit sthavira, sthūra stout, thick

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

1894, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of steer was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near steer

Cite this Entry

“Steer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/steer. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

steer

1 of 2 noun
1
: a male domestic ox castrated before sexual maturity and especially one raised for beef
2
: an ox less than four years old

steer

2 of 2 verb
1
: to direct the course or the course of : guide
steer by the stars
steer a boat
steer a conversation
2
: to follow a course of action
3
: to be guided
an automobile that steers well
steerable adjective
steerer
ˈstir-ər
noun

Legal Definition

steer

transitive verb
: to subject to steering
real estate agents steering Latino buyers

More from Merriam-Webster on steer

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