steady

adjective

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\ ˈste-dē

steadier; steadiest

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

2 : showing little variation or fluctuation : stable, uniform a steady breeze steady prices

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

verb

steadied; steadying

Definition of steady (Entry 2 of 4)

transitive verb

: to make or keep steady

intransitive verb

: to become steady

steady

adverb

Definition 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

noun

plural steadies

Definition of steady (Entry 4 of 4)

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

Other Words from steady Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More About steady

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Other Words from steady

Adjective

steadily \ ˈste-də-lē

\ adverb

steadiness \ ˈste-dē-nəs

\ noun

Verb

steadier noun

Choose the Right Synonym for steady

Adjective

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

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 What comes next is hard to predict, but cases may not necessarily continue their steady decline, scientists warned. — Compiled Democrat-gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2021 Determined to reshape the point guard depth chart, the Cavs began the offseason by acquiring steady veteran Ricky Rubio from the Minnesota Timberwolves in a draft-night trade. — Chris Fedor, cleveland, 15 Oct. 2021 With two Academy Awards and three Golden Globes under his belt, he's enjoyed a steady amount of work, most recently starring in Christopher Nolan's Tenet and the Charles Dickens reimagining Twist. — Glenn Garner, PEOPLE.com, 15 Oct. 2021 The Reed onscreen is looking back at us with that same, steady fixation his voice is describing: The entranced, captive glare of an audience. — K. Austin Collins, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2021 But the state has had a steady decline in hospitalizations in September and early October. — orlandosentinel.com, 15 Oct. 2021 Oakland city leaders are trying balance the competing priorities by keeping police budgets steady while adding prevention measures. — Sarah Ravani, San Francisco Chronicle, 14 Oct. 2021 This year Africa will generate more revenue for us than camping for the first time, and that’s with outdoor having steady 25-30% growth for the past ten years. — Jim Vinoski, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2021 Lucious Stanley has carved a steady role for himself, producing 133 total yards on 25 touches, and Larry Wooden is capable of carrying the load with 62 yards and a score. — Evan Dudley, al, 14 Oct. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb With all the moving parts, the Sox will need Eovaldi to steady the course again. — BostonGlobe.com, 10 Oct. 2021 The next chance to steady the situation comes against a Nashville side that surged to the top of the conference table while the Lions fell. — Julia Poe, orlandosentinel.com, 28 Sep. 2021 Chaney showed me how to steady my hand against the board. — Rachel Cohen, Travel + Leisure, 19 Sep. 2021 Somehow, the Dodgers and their bold baseball boss Friedman have done it again, using the trade deadline to acquire two of the hottest available players and steady the reeling champs for yet another historic title march. — Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2021 Now the Bears must try to steady themselves and take advantage of being home favorites against the Cincinnati Bengals. — Dan Wiederer, chicagotribune.com, 17 Sep. 2021 Asked how Fields can most benefit from this understudy role, Pace emphasized the volume of details young quarterbacks have to grasp to steady themselves at the pro level. — Colleen Kane, chicagotribune.com, 1 Sep. 2021 The dismissal is good news for city education officials as more than 50,000 students headed back to school Monday and the district tries to steady itself following a year of upheaval, including controversies and lawsuits. — Jill Tucker, San Francisco Chronicle, 16 Aug. 2021 Bystanders at the National Cherry Festival in Michigan helped steady a carnival ride that appeared to be malfunctioning with riders aboard Thursday evening, as seen in video captured from the scene. — Benjamin Vanhoose, PEOPLE.com, 10 July 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb Like a steady-flowing river, WANs deliver continuous service, even during peak hours. — David Joosten, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2021 Zucchini also contains magnesium, another important mineral that helps keep heart rhythm steady. — Stefani Sassos, Ms, Rdn, Cso, Good Housekeeping, 28 Apr. 2021 Will colleges struggling to hold their enrollments steady become even less selective? — Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2021 Then in his early 20s, Beasley had already landed a touring gig as part of Sergio Méndes’ band but was trying to work his way into steady-paying studio sessions. — Randall Roberts, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2021 Staying steady through waves of uncertainty is kind of her superpower. — Macaela Mackenzie, Glamour, 27 May 2020 However, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index held steady, gaining 1.9% by midday Monday. — Elaine Kurtenbach, USA TODAY, 23 Mar. 2020 The central bank for the euro system kept its main interest rate steady at -0.5% on March 12 while boosting asset purchases by €120 billion. — John Detrixhe, Quartz, 17 Mar. 2020 Meanwhile, digital increased 12.3% to $73 million from $65 million, synchronization rose by 24.14% to $36 million from $29 million, and other revenue held steady at $3 million. — Marc Schneider, Billboard, 31 Jan. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Keeping the price steady could help in an economy that's still dealing with the ongoing pandemic, but Xbox's strategy is less focused on selling new hardware than Sony's (SNE). — Shannon Liao, CNN, 9 Sep. 2020 Officials voted to hold their benchmark rate steady in a range between 1.5% and 1.75% at the meeting after cutting it by a quarter percentage point at each of its previous three meetings. — Nick Timiraos, WSJ, 3 Jan. 2020 As slack vanishes, job growth slows, the employment rate reaches full-employment levels, and wage growth steadies at rates consistent with productivity growth. — Edward P. Lazear, WSJ, 18 June 2019 Production eventually steadies, but at much lower levels. — Aldo Svaldi, The Denver Post, 10 Nov. 2019 Opening the annual session of China’s legislature on Tuesday, Premier Li Keqiang laid out plans to fend off risks in the economy and keep the nation’s jobless rate steady. — Lingling Wei, WSJ, 4 Mar. 2019 The break-even rate refers to the amount of monthly payroll gains needed to keep the jobless rate steady. — Michael S. Derby, WSJ, 14 Nov. 2018 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, 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, 4 June 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.

First Known Use of steady

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1530, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Adverb

circa 1605, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1792, in the meaning defined above

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Learn More About steady

Dictionary Entries Near steady

stead of

steady

steady as a rock

Statistics for steady

Last Updated

17 Oct 2021

Cite this Entry

“Steady.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/steady. Accessed 20 Oct. 2021.

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More Definitions for steady

steady

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of steady

(Entry 1 of 4)

: not shaking or moving : held firmly in one place or position

: not increasing or decreasing

: lasting or continuing for a long period of time in a dependable way

steady

verb

English Language Learners Definition of steady (Entry 2 of 4)

: to keep (something or someone) from moving, shaking, falling, etc.

: to cause (something) to stop changing, increasing, decreasing, etc.

steady

adverb

English Language Learners Definition of steady (Entry 3 of 4)

: in a steady way

steady

noun

English Language Learners Definition of steady (Entry 4 of 4)

: 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

\ ˈste-dē

steadier; steadiest

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 : lasting or continuing over time a steady flow of water I found a steady job.

4 : not easily upset steady nerves

5 : reliable a steady worker

Other Words from steady

steadily \ ˈste-də-lē \ adverb

steadiness \ ˈste-dē-nəs \ noun

steady

verb

steadied; steadying

Kids 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