steady

adjective \ ˈste-dē \

|Updated on: 14 Jun 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: steady in a Sentence

Definition of steady

steadier; steadiest

1 a : direct or sure in movement : unfaltering

a steady hand

b : firm in position : fixed

held the pole steady

c : keeping nearly upright in a seaway

a steady ship

2 : showing little variation or fluctuation : stable, uniform

a steady breeze

steady prices

3 a : not easily disturbed or upset

steady nerves

b (1) : constant in feeling, principle, purpose, or attachment

steady friends

(2) : dependable

c : not given to dissipation : sober

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steadily

play \ˈste-də-lē\ adverb

—

steadiness

play \ˈste-dē-nəs\ noun

See steady defined for English-language learners

See steady defined for kids

Examples of steady in a Sentence

She used a tripod to keep the camera steady.
Painting takes a steady hand and a good eye.
Prices have remained steady over the last month.
He finally has a steady job.
They do a steady business at the restaurant.
There has been a steady increase in prices.
I am making steady progress on refinishing the basement.
There was a steady rain all day.
We've received a steady stream of donations.

Recent Examples of steady from the Web

Northeasterly breezes could be fairly steady around 10 mph by afternoon.

— a. camden walker, Washington Post, "D.C.-area forecast: Mugginess and clouds today pave the way for periodic weekend rain," 8 June 2018
Carle was steady as Chris Pronger’s partner, so at least the Flyers parlayed Eminger into something positive.

— sam carchidi, Philly.com, "Flyers, Ron Hextall can learn from Capitals' success in Stanley Cup Finals win | Sam Carchidi," 8 June 2018
And two, the NBC/WSJ numbers on Trump and congressional have been incredibly steady.

— chuck todd, NBC News, "NBC/WSJ poll: Trump's support has gotten deeper — but not broader," 7 June 2018
On the other side, Flaherty has been remarkably steady for St. Louis and hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in any of his six starts this season.

— matthew defranks, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Preview: Marlins at Cardinals, Wednesday, 8:15 p.m.," 6 June 2018
While the push to promote plays by and about women and people of color has been steady for years, the drive for gender parity on crews has only recently begun to gain traction.

— sonia weiser, New York Times, "This ‘Othello’ Is Powered by Women," 6 June 2018
Unlike general elections, turnout in primaries isn’t as steady and can be hard for pollsters to determine the makeup of the electorate.

— gray rohrer, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Who’s soaring in the Democratic governor primary? Almost everyone. Just ask them.," 1 June 2018
Roku, which went held an initial public offering in February, was steady as the market leader with 37% share, the same as last year and up from 33% two years ago.

— aaron pressman, Fortune, "Why Roku Is the Internet Video Box Leader, While Google Is Slipping," 31 May 2018
Rounding out the Artist 100's top five, Post Malone and Drake hold at Nos. 2 and 3, respectively, and Imagine Dragons is steady at No.

— xander zellner, Billboard, "BTS Becomes First K-Pop Act to Hit No. 1 on Billboard Artist 100 Chart," 30 May 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of steady

Middle English stedy, from stede

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First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

steady Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of steady

steady, even, equable mean not varying throughout a course or extent. steady implies lack of fluctuation or interruption of movement.

- steady progress

even suggests a lack of variation in quality or character.

- an even distribution

equable implies lack of extremes or of sudden sharp changes.

- maintain an equable temper

steady

verb

Definition of steady

steadied; steadying

transitive verb

: to make or keep steady

intransitive verb

: to become steady

—

steadier

noun

See steady defined for English-language learners

Examples of steady in a Sentence

He steadied the gun and fired.
She used a tripod to steady the camera.
The doctor gave her medication to help steady her heart rate.
Her heart rate had been erratic but eventually steadied.
Prices have steadied in recent months.

Recent Examples of steady from the Web

Starting pitcher Chris Williams was a steadying force in the rotation and should also be back.

— brian murphy, OrlandoSentinel.com, "UCF baseball laments missed opportunities that cost Knights NCAA bid," 30 May 2018
Temple is a steadying presence for the younger players in addition to being the Kings' best perimeter defender.

— jason jones, sacbee, "Why Grayson Allen could be a draft option, even with Kings stocked at guard | The Sacramento Bee," 26 May 2018
As Justin Riendean, of Columbia, steadied a plow, his sons, 9-year-old Isaac and 6-year-old Henri, walked alongside him, taking turns helping.

— janice steinhagen, Courant Community, "Draft Animals Break The Sod At Blue Slope Country Museum," 2 May 2018
With the exception of Marotti, there’s no one on the Buckeyes staff that Meyer leans on more than Stamper, who was a two-time captain for Meyer at Florida and a steadying force on two national title–winning squads.

— bruce feldman, SI.com, "The Problems That Keep Urban Meyer Up at Night," 1 May 2018
Then my daughter steadied the universe by reaching out her hand toward me, opening and closing it.

— david frese, kansascity, "The last graduation, the last game, the last prom. Parents, are you ready for it? | The Kansas City Star," 27 Apr. 2018
Some more stooped now than during the first Bush presidency, mostly grayer, some steadying themselves on canes.

— roxanne roberts, The Seattle Times, "An old-school proper goodbye for Barbara Bush, a first lady of grace and grit," 21 Apr. 2018
Despite steadying Borussia Dortmund, there are still grumbles around his time in charge of the club and the 51-year-old is expected to leave at the end of the season.

— SI.com, "Borussia Dortmund vs Stuttgart Match Preview: Classic Encounter, Key Battle, Team News & More," 7 Apr. 2018
Trump’s supporters point to steadying forces around him, like Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and first daughter Ivanka Trump.

— philip elliott, Time, "President Trump Feels Good About White House Shake Ups. His Staffers Don't," 22 Mar. 2018

First Known Use of steady

1530

in the meaning defined at transitive sense

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steady

adverb

Definition of steady

1 : in a steady manner : steadily

2 : on the course set —used as a direction to the helmsman of a ship

See steady defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of steady from the Web

But the refining sector shot back this week, arguing the market is holding steady even as dozens of refineries have been exempted.

— james osborne, Houston Chronicle, "Refiners at odds with agriculture secretary over ethanol demand," 18 May 2018
Among independents and Democrats, support for Trump testifying has held roughly steady compared with previous CNN polling on the topic.

— jennifer agiesta, CNN, "CNN Poll: Republicans shifting negative on Mueller's investigation," 10 May 2018
The defense stayed steady, until Saturday’s game in Boston — when shortstop Machado made two throwing errors and Valencia made a fielding error.

— eduardo a. encina, baltimoresun.com, "Bundy meets hard-luck fate again as Orioles lose third straight in Boston, 3-1," 15 Apr. 2018
Morning temperatures hold steady between about 30 and 34.

— jason samenow, Washington Post, "D.C.-area forecast: A winter resurgence with some snow early Tuesday and maybe Friday," 29 Jan. 2018
Climb on top of him, hugging his hips, and rock him steady all night long.

— aurora tower, Cosmopolitan, "Your Complete Love, Work, & Life Horoscope for 2017," 10 Jan. 2017
Britain’s central bank lowered its growth forecasts for this and next year and held its benchmark interest rate steady at 0.25% on Thursday, a move that only two policy makers dissented against rather than the three some analysts expected.

— jon sindreu, WSJ, "Pound, Gilt Yields Slide as BOE Rate-Increase Expectations Ease," 3 Aug. 2017
At the same time, demand for zinc—a lightweight, rustproof metal favored in the car and construction industries among others—has remained steady, eating away at the excess inventory.

— david hodari, WSJ, "Zinc Is in the Pink, as Mine Supply Struggles to Meet Demand," 10 July 2017
The European Central Bank, which held the benchmark interest rate steady at a historic low of zero percent, provided a timetable on Thursday for rolling back purchases of government and corporate debt, a program known as quantitative easing.

— jack ewing, New York Times, "As European Central Bank Eases Emergency Measures, Risks May Lurk," 25 Oct. 2017

First Known Use of steady

circa 1605

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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steady

noun

Definition of steady

plural steadies

: one that is steady; specifically : a boyfriend or girlfriend with whom one goes steady

See steady defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of steady from the Web

The Bank of Canada held its benchmark rate steady last week at 1.25%, and signaled rates could climb soon despite worries over trade uncertainty.

— paul vieira, WSJ, "Canada Growth at Risk Due to Heightened Trade Anxiety: IMF," 4 June 2018
Fed policy makers held their benchmark short-term interest rate steady in January, in a range between 1.25% and 1.5%, and signaled greater confidence that inflation would rise to their 2% target.

— harriet torry, WSJ, "Inflation Cooled in February," 13 Mar. 2018
Muguruza double faults on her opening point but steadies and wins the next the four.

— jamie lisanti, SI.com, "Live updates: Venus Williams takes on Garbine Muguruza in Wimbledon final," 15 July 2017
Officials voted unanimously to hold their benchmark rate steady in a range between 0.75% and 1%, after a two-day policy meeting Wednesday.

— nick timiraos, WSJ, "Fed Sees Growth Rebounding, Remains on Track for Two More Rate Rises in 2017," 3 May 2017
Officials voted unanimously to hold their benchmark rate steady in a range between 0.75% and 1%, after a two-day policy meeting.

— james hohmann, Washington Post, "The Daily 202: 10 storylines to follow as the House votes on health care," 4 May 2017
Following a two-day policy meeting, officials voted unanimously to hold their benchmark rate steady in a range between 0.50% and 0.75%, while noting in a statement some recent improvements in the economy, including an uptick in consumer confidence.

— david harrison, WSJ, "Fed Leaves Policy Rate Unchanged, Offers No Hint on When It Might Next Move," 1 Feb. 2017

First Known Use of steady

1792

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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STEADY Defined for English Language Learners

steady

verb

Definition of steady for English Language Learners

: to keep (something or someone) from moving, shaking, falling, etc.
: to cause (something) to stop changing, increasing, decreasing, etc.

steady

adverb

Definition of steady for English Language Learners

: in a steady way

steady

noun

Definition of steady for English Language Learners

: the only person you are having a romantic relationship with : the person you are going steady with

STEADY Defined for Kids

steady

adjective \ ˈste-dē \

Definition of steady for Students

steadier; steadiest

1 : firmly fixed in position

Make sure the ladder is steady.

2 : direct or sure in action

She worked with steady hands.

I took steady aim.

3 : showing little change

a steady flow of water

I found a steady job.

4 : not easily upset

steady nerves

5 : reliable

a steady worker

—

steadily

\ˈste-də-lē\ adverb

—

steadiness

\ˈste-dē-nəs\ noun

steady

verb

Definition of steady for Students

steadied; steadying

: to make, keep, or become steady

He put on some music to steady his nerves.

I put the stepladder next to the cart and steadied it with one hand …
—Jack Gantos, Joey Pigza Loses Control

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steadier

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steady

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