pedal steel
noun
variants
or pedal steel guitar
plural pedal steels or pedal steel guitars
: a box-shaped electric steel guitar with legs that has usually 10 strings which can be altered in pitch by the use of pedals and which are plucked while being pressed with a movable steel bar
[Ben] Keith broke into the business playing pedal steel on Patsy Cline's "I Fall to Pieces" …—
Kevin Dettmar
compare hawaiian guitar, lap steel
Kevin DettmarExamples of pedal steel in a Sentence
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He’s joined by brothers Jason and Tommy Bushman on bass and drums, Antonio Vazquez on lead guitar, and Rider Soran on pedal steel, lap steel, and electric guitar.
—Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 30 Jan. 2026
Expect no-frills musicianship under warm stage lights, a crowd swaying to pedal steel and fiddle, and the kind of intimate connection that has made Wall’s shows feel like stories shared around a campfire.
—Travis Pinson, Dallas Morning News, 15 Jan. 2026
Swaths of pedal steel and a relentless percussion give the song drive and energy, while their voices have a seamless chemistry.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 29 Sep. 2025
A touch of piano and pedal steel guitar bracket verses that swing upward to meet a chorus steeped in Sheeran’s authentically raw vocals.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pedal steel
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Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 30 Jan. 2026
Expect no-frills musicianship under warm stage lights, a crowd swaying to pedal steel and fiddle, and the kind of intimate connection that has made Wall’s shows feel like stories shared around a campfire.
—Travis Pinson, Dallas Morning News, 15 Jan. 2026
Swaths of pedal steel and a relentless percussion give the song drive and energy, while their voices have a seamless chemistry.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 29 Sep. 2025
A touch of piano and pedal steel guitar bracket verses that swing upward to meet a chorus steeped in Sheeran’s authentically raw vocals.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pedal steel
Cite this Entry
“Pedal steel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pedal%20steel. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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