steel

noun

\ ˈstēl

Definition of steel

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : commercial iron that contains carbon in any amount up to about 1.7 percent as an essential alloying constituent, is malleable when under suitable conditions, and is distinguished from cast iron by its malleability and lower carbon content

2 : an instrument or implement of or characteristically of steel: such as

a : a thrusting or cutting weapon

b : an instrument (such as a fluted round rod with a handle) for sharpening knives

c : a piece of steel for striking sparks from flint

3 : a quality (such as hardness of mind or spirit) that suggests steel nerves of steel

4a : the steel manufacturing industry

b steels plural : shares of stock in steel companies

steel

verb

steeled; steeling; steels

Definition of steel (Entry 2 of 3)

transitive verb

1 : to overlay, point, or edge with steel

2a : to cause to resemble steel (as in looks or hardness)

b : to fill with resolution or determination steeled herself to face the crisis

steel

adjective

Definition of steel (Entry 3 of 3)

1 : made of steel

2 : of or relating to the production of steel

3 : resembling steel

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about steel

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Examples of steel in a Sentence

Noun

The beams are made of steel. Steel is an important industry in this area. The invaders were driven back by steel. the steel of a knife

Verb

hoped that his inspirational talk would steel the youths in the pursuit of their dreams years of running a farm had steeled the hard-bitten woman

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The man was buried under tons of steel at the Kloeckner Metals warehouse, 1621 NW 12th Ave. — Larry Barszewski, sun-sentinel.com, "Trucker crushed to death by falling steel beams," 16 Sep. 2019 The 9/11 service is held each year outside the city’s 9/11 memorial, which was created in 2015 from a piece of steel from the World Trade Center. — Jennifer Johnson, chicagotribune.com, "Park Ridge community, first responders reflect on 9/11 anniversary during annual ceremony," 13 Sep. 2019 Believe Chris Evans, the moral compass of America held together by chiseled abs of steel. — Nick Romano, EW.com, "Chris Evans raving about Toni Collette in Hereditary to Toni Collette is all of us," 8 Sep. 2019 Chopard The self-winding Happy Sport Oval is splashed with 0.19 carats of floating diamonds in the 31.31 x 29mm case, on a bracelet of steel and 18-karat rose gold; $20,300, at Chopard, NYC and Costa Mesa or chopard.com. — Laurie Brookins, The Hollywood Reporter, "12 Timeless Travel Watches for Festival Season," 6 Sep. 2019 Cherie’s balance and nerves of steel got her the gold in the medium-size dog and overall categories Aug. 3 at the World Dog Surfing Championships in Pacifica. — Hillary Davis, Daily Pilot, "Newport Beach bulldog is canine queen of the waves," 29 Aug. 2019 Warm and genteel on the outside, Cockrell was known as a no-nonsense negotiator with a spine of steel. — Carmina Danini, ExpressNews.com, "Lila Cockrell, San Antonio’s first female mayor, left a long and pioneering legacy," 29 Aug. 2019 Beneath Glinda’s tulle outfit is a spine of steel—and a belief that a young woman like Dorothy could grow one and become independent, too. — Pam Grossman, The Atlantic, "The Wizard of Oz Invented the ‘Good Witch’," 25 Aug. 2019 Frozen sushi, Marvin called it, fresh and cold, almost tasteless, with a note of steel from the knife blade. — Neil Shea, National Geographic, "A thawing Arctic is heating up a new Cold War," 21 Aug. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The Toreros use the nonleague games against scholarship programs to steel themselves for the non-scholarship Pioneer Football League. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Toreros will try to shore up defense against UC Davis," 6 Sep. 2019 The loss steeled her resolve to crack the biology of depression and improve its treatment. — Emily Underwood, Science | AAAS, "Brain scans could help personalize treatment for people who are depressed or suicidal," 20 Aug. 2019 Collapsing car and tractor sales in the past couple of months are reverberating down the supply chain, from parts-makers to steel companies. — The Economist, "India Inc is growing disenchanted with Narendra Modi," 17 Aug. 2019 As the Democratic presidential hopefuls prepare for debates Wednesday and Thursday nights, engineers and other specialists at Facebook and Twitter are steeling themselves for a different kind of contest. — Elena Shao, SFChronicle.com, "Facebook, Twitter set to fight fake news during Democratic debates," 25 June 2019 What steeled and defined the 1999 team was a competitiveness rooted in the core members who had led the United States to victory in the inaugural, 1991 women’s World Cup — Michelle Akers, Julie Foudy, Scurry, Hamm, Lilly and Chastain, among others. — Liz Clarke, courant.com, "Twenty years ago, U.S. women won the World Cup and changed the sport," 7 June 2019 At the media center, the video of another dying child only steeled their resolve. — Muhammad Idrees Ahmad, The New York Review of Books, "How Assad Made Truth a Casualty of War," 7 Sep. 2018 Luckily for them, her intention isn't to trick you and steel your beauty—only to get her songs stuck in your head for the rest of your life. — Danny Murphy, Marie Claire, "Recasted: Who Would Star in a Hocus Pocus Remake?," 31 Oct. 2018 At this point, many in the party seem more consumed with their nomination contests than with steeling themselves for the general election. — Jonathan Martin And Alexander Burns, New York Times, "After Stormy Daniels, Republicans Face a Referendum on Trump’s Conduct," 26 Mar. 2018

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