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
4
a
: the steel manufacturing industry
b
steels plural
: shares of stock in steel companies
steeled; steeling; steels
1
: to overlay, point, or edge with steel
2
a
: to cause to resemble steel (as in looks or hardness)
b
: to fill with resolution or determination
steeled herself to face the crisis
1
: made of steel
2
: of or relating to the production of steel
3
: resembling steel
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
Llewellyn King, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
Trump has imposed 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum as well as 25% tariffs on autos.
—Rob Gillies The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 20 June 2025
Stephen Pastis, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025
Universities are scrambling to steel themselves for an onslaught of investigations.
—Erica Pandey, Axios, 21 Mar. 2025
Sophie Haigney, Curbed, 13 July 2021
See All Example Sentences for steel
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Noun
Wolf said the Wind Harvester will be modified to withstand Category 5 hurricanes; can be built entirely in the United States of steel and aluminum; and are engineered to last 70-75 years with some refurbishing along the way.
—Llewellyn King, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
Trump has imposed 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum as well as 25% tariffs on autos.
—Rob Gillies The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 20 June 2025
Verb
The founders of Chime trudged into Amino Capital's bare-bones office early one Saturday morning in the summer of 2013, steeling themselves for disappointment.
—Stephen Pastis, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025
Universities are scrambling to steel themselves for an onslaught of investigations.
—Erica Pandey, Axios, 21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
Around the country, mining operations have cropped up in an ex-steel mill in Calvert City, Kentucky; an ex-Gateway Computer industrial campus in South Dakota; a power plant in Hardin, Montana; a former airplane hangar in Big Spring, Texas; and old fruit warehouses in Eastern Washington State.
—Sophie Haigney, Curbed, 13 July 2021
See All Example Sentences for steel
Cite this Entry
“Steel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/steel. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
steel
1 of 3 noun1
: commercial iron that contains carbon in any amount up to about 1.7 percent as a necessary part
2
: an article (as a sword) made of steel
3
: a hard cold quality
answered with steel in her voice
steel
2 of 3 verb
: to fill with courage or determination
steel
3 of 3 adjective1
: made of or like steel
2
: of or relating to the production of steel
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