steady

adjective \ ˈste-dē \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

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

—

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

There had been a steady stream of stories about hometown soldiers fighting in Europe, but Irwin’s series showed readers war from another perspective.

— francine uenuma, Smithsonian, "Journalist Virginia Irwin Broke Barriers When She Reported From Berlin at the End of WWII," 28 Mar. 2018
But they were stunned by the steady stream of supporters as the crowd made its way up Broadway.

— eder campuzano, OregonLive.com, "March For Our Lives Portland: Thousands flood the streets as students demand stricter gun control," 24 Mar. 2018
But locals bring a steady stream of revenue, plus online reviews that matter to out-of-town guests.

— liz biro, Indianapolis Star, "Why restaurants in Indianapolis hotels don't have to suck," 12 Apr. 2018
Wheeler's nomination comes amid a steady stream of negative headlines involving Pruitt in recent weeks and months that has official Washington wondering whether the embattled agency chief can hold onto his job.

— daniella diaz, CNN, "Vote slated for Thursday for former Inhofe aide Wheeler to be EPA's No. 2," 12 Apr. 2018
Many of the Schwegmann's bars would draw a steady stream of regulars.

— mike scott, NOLA.com, "Cheers to Schwegmann's: Readers remember the Shopper's Bar," 11 Apr. 2018
Fika, a Swedish coffee chain, has been opening stores throughout Manhattan at a steady clip over the last few years.

— liza weisstuch, BostonGlobe.com, "Local investors banked on skyr being a big cheese in US market, too," 9 Apr. 2018
The dance studio located just inside the front entrance drew a steady streams of parents and children, watching demonstrations by park district dance students.

— denys bucksten, chicagotribune.com, "Dunbar Recreation Center opens its doors in Mundelein," 9 Apr. 2018
The columnist receives a steady stream of reader messages after his columns publish, ranging from supporters to racists attacking him.

— jessica lee, The Seattle Times, "Seattle Times says goodbye to ‘the conscience of the newsroom’ with columnist Jerry Large’s retirement," 8 Apr. 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

Some voters may see a second term as a steadying force and his supporters have argued that Buhari, a former army general, needs more time to battle Boko Haram, and to defeat corruption and other entrenched economic problems.

— emmanuel akinwotu, BostonGlobe.com, "Nigeria’s president rebuffs calls to step aside," 10 Apr. 2018
Allardyce, who has steadied the ship at Everton since being named as Ronald Koeman's permanent replacement, has failed to win over large sections of the club's support.

— SI.com, "Sam Allardyce Linked With West Brom Vacancy as Scrutiny Over Position at Goodison Park Increases," 9 Apr. 2018
The assistant coach who steadied the ship during an unprecedented 20-win season with a sterling, unassailable reputation provided reassuring and bankable stability.

— bryce miller, sandiegouniontribune.com, "'Special' Scholl offers heart, stability to Toreros," 3 Apr. 2018
Dragnea is seeking to steady the ship as the Black Sea nation’s economy slows from the one of the highest growth rates in the world last year.

— andra timu, Bloomberg.com, "Romania's Ruling-Party Boss Strengthens His Grip on Power," 10 Mar. 2018
A few miles north from the city of Mobile, Hector Posset steadied himself on a boat and poured water into his mouth, followed by gin and then more water.

— christopher harress, AL.com, "Who owns the wreck of the Clotilda, Alabama's last slave ship?," 26 Jan. 2018
Its hydraulic Kinetic Dynamic Suspension works through the stabilizer bars to steady the on-road ride or to reduce resistance for more wheel travel off road to keep rubber in contact with the trail.

— mark maynard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "2018 Toyota Land Cruiser: An heirloom original," 30 Mar. 2018
Some of Brown’s friends believe that his relationship with a business executive named Anne Gust steadied him after the Barzaghi era.

— rachel aviv, The New Yorker, "Inside California’s War on Trump," 19 Mar. 2018
Trump, who has resisted firing people despite his former reality-TV catchphrase, is shedding those who might challenge him and — in Corker's former estimation — steadied the administration and the White House.

— aaron blake, Washington Post, "What a ‘Trump Purge’ means," 16 Mar. 2018

First Known Use of steady

1530

in the meaning defined at transitive sense

See Words from the same year

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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

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
Some will do so by raising the tax rate, but even those lowering it or keeping it steady are charging more property taxes this year, because of the rise in property values.

— brittany wallman, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Search your city: Broward cities' tax bills rising," 12 Oct. 2017
The poll had the Social Democrats steady at 23 percent.

— arne delfs, Bloomberg.com, "Merkel Steps Up Anti-Populist Warning as Polls Show Fringe Gains," 21 Sep. 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

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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steady

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steadier

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steady

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steady

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STEADY Defined for English Language Learners

steady

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steady

Definition of steady for English Language Learners

steady

Definition of steady for English Language Learners

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