pedal steel

noun

Updated on: 24 Apr 2018

Definition of pedal steel

: a box-shaped musical instrument 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 — called also pedal steel guitar

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Recent Examples of pedal steel from the Web

Bob loved music and enjoyed playing keyboards, pedal steel guitar, and guitar.

— hartford courant, courant.com, "Robert May," 8 Apr. 2018
Wall’s records are starkly elegant: twanging guitar, dampened percussion and bass, and the occasional pedal steel.

— benjamin shapiro, The New Yorker, "Colter Wall, the Canadian Cowboy," 7 Apr. 2018
Timberlake set us up to expect twang and pedal steel.

— zach schonfeld, Newsweek, "The Justin Timberlake Backlash: A ‘Man of the Woods’–Era Guide," 2 Feb. 2018
An incurably curious musician, Black has taken pedal steel far beyond its usual contexts.

— andrew gilbert, San Francisco Chronicle, "Bobby Black — for decades, at the pinnacle of pedal steel," 6 Feb. 2018
The oozingly slow opening track features her crystalline voice accompanied only by acoustic guitar and—as the song winds down—a sensual pedal steel.

— peter margasak, Chicago Reader, "Susanne Sundfør turns from EDM-driven pop to intimate, folk-steeped songwriting," 2 Nov. 2017
This is acoustic-minded rock music, with vocal harmonies, pedal steel, maybe even a yodel.

— john adamian, courant.com, "Wise Old Moon Plays Arch Street Tavern," 23 Dec. 2017
Truthfully, there's still too much rock 'n' roll, too much screaming guitar vs. pedal steel, throughout the album.

— chuck yarborough, cleveland.com, "Luke Bryan continues to evolve with 'What Makes You Country' (CD review)," 18 Dec. 2017
There’s something about the music these folks are making that doesn’t feel retro; the way their acoustic guitars, pedal steels, and rhythms support their observation-rich storytelling feels timeless.

— peter margasak, Chicago Reader, "Tyler Childers summons the hardscrabble, hard-living sound of 70s country music," 27 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pedal steel.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of pedal steel

1965

in the meaning defined above

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PEDAL STEEL Defined for English Language Learners

pedal steel

noun

Definition of pedal steel for English Language Learners

: a musical instrument that has strings which are plucked while being pressed with a movable steel bar and a pedal that can change the pitch of the strings