steady
adjective
\
Definition of steady
(Entry 1 of 4)
1a : 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
3a : 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
steady
verbDefinition of steady (Entry 2 of 4)
: to make or keep steady
: to become steady
steady
adverbDefinition of steady (Entry 3 of 4)
1 : in a steady manner : steadily
2 : on the course set —used as a direction to the helmsman of a ship
steady
nounDefinition of steady (Entry 4 of 4)
: one that is steady specifically : a boyfriend or girlfriend with whom one goes steady
Keep scrolling for more
Other Words from steady
Adjective
\
adverb
\
noun
Verb
Synonyms & Antonyms for steady
Synonyms: Adjective
calculable, dependable, good, reliable, responsible, safe, secure, solid, sure, tried, tried-and-true, true, trustable, trustworthy, trusty
Antonyms: Adjective
uncertain, undependable, unreliable, unsafe, untrustworthy
Visit the Thesaurus for More
Examples of steady in a Sentence
Adjective
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.Verb
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 on the Web: Adjective
Dark clouds and fog shrouded the area around the cave as a steady rain began falling in the early afternoon. — Thomas Maresca And John Bacon, USA TODAY, "4 are out; 9 to go: Captivated world watches Thailand cave rescue," 9 July 2018 The boys entered the caverns around 2 p.m. About an hour later, there was a sudden downpour lasting half an hour, followed by steady rain from 7 p.m. onward. — Jake Maxwell Watts, WSJ, "Four Boys Rescued From Flooded Thai Cave," 8 July 2018 Roughly paralleling Woody Mountain Road, the meandering single track holds steady at around 7,100 feet, sweeping easily through wildflower meadows and shady glens. — Mare Czinar, azcentral, "Flagstaff hike: Rogers Trail hike is a lovely walk in the woods," 5 July 2018 Revenue at the port has been on a steady decline, going from $42.8 million from leases and projects in fiscal year 2013 to $33.8 million in fiscal year 2017. — Lynn Brezosky, San Antonio Express-News, "Perschbach named Port San Antonio CEO," 28 June 2018 In the steady rain, Morrison and the others from St. Teresa's Academy's class of 1981 were waiting in their SUV outside the church at 3333 Broadway, three hours before Spade's 3 p.m. funeral service. — Eric Adler, Aaron Randle And Cortlynn Stark, kansascity, "Kate Spade's funeral: Mourners gather to say goodbye to hometown fashion icon," 21 June 2018 The ground, saturated by weeks of steady rain, appeared to give way under two of the legs that help brace the base of the crane. — Wayne K. Roustan, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Crane collapse: Boil-water advisory lifted," 12 June 2018 However, the Black unemployment rate has been on a steady decline since 2011, according to Vox. — Paula Rogo, Essence.com, "The Black Unemployment Rate Just Hit A Record Low," 3 June 2018 As noted by Benjamin Schneider in CityLab, these sister giants have similar storylines -- a heyday in the 1950s followed by steady decline and abandonment, then rediscovery by developers in recent years. — Pete Corson, ajc, "The second lives of Sears buildings," 2 June 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Cover a rimmed baking sheet with rock salt and nestle the oyster half shells in the salt to steady them. — Barbara Mahany, chicagotribune.com, "Retro cookbooks offer comforts from another era for these uncertain times," 29 June 2018 Signs of softening economic growth, and the declining yuan, have meanwhile hardly steadied the mood. — Jacky Wong, WSJ, "Beijing Paddles Hard as a Bear Market Threatens," 22 June 2018 Showing no signs of an achy back that has required constant treatment and a few injections, Hill steadied a teetering offense that watched an 11-point halftime lead quickly turn into a one-point edge. — Zachariah Durr, cleveland.com, ""More Tristan!" cry Cavs fans as they "Sound Off" on Game 7's win over Pacers (VIDEO)," 29 Apr. 2018 Oil steadied after the biggest loss in more than a week as OPEC's hints at extending output cuts fanned optimism and investors anticipated a drop in U.S. stockpiles. — Grant Smith, Houston Chronicle, "OPEC hints at extending output cut deal," 17 Apr. 2018 Sixty-nine years old, just under 6 feet tall and with a substantial belly, Milton moved with the slow, powerful precision of a black bear: one foot in front of the other, head bowed, one hand on the railing to steady him. — Porter Fox, WSJ, "A Seafood Hater Chases Fish in Maine," 6 June 2018 Powered by Breanna Stewart and Jewell Loyd, with the steadying presence of Sue Bird thrown in, and enhanced defense thanks to new coach Dan Hughes, the Storm goes into Tuesday's game against the Sparks No. 1 in the WNBA. — Alexa Philippou, The Seattle Times, "How the Seattle Storm flipped its fortunes and rose to the top of WNBA standings," 9 July 2018 Even Beltrán’s steadying influence might not be able to save it. — Ben Reiter, SI.com, "Why Carlos Beltrán Was the Perfect Addition to Aid the Astros' Journey to the World Series," 9 July 2018 Most servers, however, are kind and congenial, and co-owner Mulgeci is a steadying hand. — Kate Washington, sacbee, "It's not flashy or splashy, but Roseville's Ciao excels at cooking classic Italian," 8 June 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb
Earlier this month, the bank kept its benchmark interest rate steady at 6.5%, saying that inflation is moving up toward its target while the economy remains sluggish. — Jeffrey T. Lewis, WSJ, "Brazil Central Bank Cuts 2018 GDP Growth Forecast to 1.6% From 2.6%," 28 June 2018 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 2017Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Employers have added more than 200,000 jobs a month this year, well above the level Fed officials think is needed to hold the jobless rate steady. — Nick Timiraos, WSJ, "Jobs Report Keeps Fed’s June Rate Increase on Track," 1 June 2018 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. 2017These 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.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for steady
steady
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of steady
(Entry 1 of 3)
: to keep (something or someone) from moving, shaking, falling, etc.
: to cause (something) to stop changing, increasing, decreasing, etc.
steady
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of steady (Entry 3 of 3)
: the only person you are having a romantic relationship with : the person you are going steady with
See the full definition for steady in the English Language Learners Dictionary
steady
adjective
\
Kids Definition of steady
(Entry 1 of 2)
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
steady
verbKids Definition of steady (Entry 2 of 2)
: 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
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on steady
What made you want to look up steady? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Great Scrabble Words—A Quiz
-
- Which of the following Q-without-U words means the number five in cards or dice?
Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Share steady
Resources for steady