steady

adjective

\ 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

Home-price growth remained steady in October, the latest sign that conditions are becoming more favorable for buyers and are likely to continue in the months to come. — Laura Kusisto, WSJ, "Home-Price Growth Kept Pace in October," 26 Dec. 2018 At the same time, unlike the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, accidents in the U.S. Army’s helicopter force held steady during the same time period. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "What's Behind the Stark Rise in U.S. Military Accidents?," 6 Dec. 2018 Separately, Tropical Storm Florence continues to hold steady over the eastern Atlantic. — Jennifer Kay, The Seattle Times, "Gordon strengthens, expected to hit Gulf Coast as hurricane," 4 Sep. 2018 That said, the retail versions of Switch games are sometimes offered at clearance prices after launch, even as the downloadable price remains steady. — Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, "Examining why Switch games cost more than their PC counterparts," 24 Aug. 2018 On a map of D.C., Bhaduri indicates an area whose population density remains steady: a prison. — Emily Strasser, Curbed, "A secret city opens up," 8 Aug. 2018 Drilling activity in Texas ticked up slightly this week while the overall U.S. rig count remained steady. — Houston Chronicle, "Texas rig counts ticks up amid oil price slide," 13 July 2018 While sales growth of iPads has slowed in recent years, the Mac line has remained fairly steady. — Mark Gurman / Bloomberg, Time, "Apple Just Quietly Launched a Brand New MacBook Pro Laptop Lineup," 12 July 2018 The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council says Americans consume around 20 billion hot dogs per year—about 7 billion from Memorial Day to Labor Day—and that sales remain steady due to the growing popularity of high-protein diets. — Emily Atkin, The New Republic, "Why Do Carrot Hot Dogs Make You So Mad?," 3 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Strong rule of law and a robust media environment can cause short-term political chaos but often prove steadying in the long run. — Ian Bremmer, Time, "South Africa Is Ready to Turn the Page on President Jacob Zuma," 15 Feb. 2018 Using a very sharp knife and a two-pronged fork to steady the turkey, cut through the skin between the breast and leg. — Audrey Bruno, SELF, "How to Roast a Turkey if You've Never Done It Before," 20 Nov. 2018 In doing so, Cincinnati (10-3-5, 35 points) steadied its perch atop the Eastern Conference, creating a four-point gap between it and second-place Pittsburgh Riverhounds. — Scott Winfield, Cincinnati.com, "ICYMI: FC Cincinnati ties soon-to-be MLS rival, three Cincinnati Reds named MLB All-Stars," 9 July 2018 But a word, too, about McNally, who served for the title at 5-4 and was broken but then steadied to force a tiebreaker. — Jon Wertheim, SI.com, "Mailbag: Looking Back at Roland Garros," 13 June 2018 But if what’s happening in Colorado is any indication, the market will steady. — Matt Simon, WIRED, "The Plan to Save California's Legendary Weed From 'Big Cannabis'," 17 Apr. 2018 Quieting the mind is as much a challenge as steadying the arm in situations like this. — Christopher Clarey, New York Times, "On a Wild Day at Wimbledon, Federer Exits and Nadal Hangs On," 11 July 2018 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

Recent 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 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The break-even rate refers to the amount of monthly payroll gains needed to keep the jobless rate steady. — Michael S. Derby, WSJ, "Derby’s Take: Ready For 3% Unemployment? Goldman Sachs Says It’s Possible," 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, "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. 2017

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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Statistics for steady

Last Updated

8 Jan 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for steady

The first known use of steady was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for steady

steady

verb

English 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

adverb

English Language Learners Definition of steady (Entry 2 of 3)

: in a steady way

steady

noun

English 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

\ 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 : showing little change 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