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

In turn, the ruptured tubercles attract dissolved copper, spurring a chemical reaction that can pit and weaken the surrounding steel. — Peter Passi / Forum News Service, Twin Cities, "Popular Duluth museum ship’s corrosion extends to its rivets," 5 Sep. 2019 With the team struggling with injuries in midfield, he will be tasked with bringing some steel to a side that has been seen as a little lightweight in years gone by. — SI.com, "Picking a Starting XI of the Tallest Players in the Premier League 2019/20," 1 Sep. 2019 The sounds of heavy-duty equipment heaving steel or pouring cement are audible across the neighborhood. — New York Times, "How a Trump Tax Break to Help Poor Communities Became a Windfall for the Rich," 31 Aug. 2019 The city’s Public Art Committee was asked by the department to utilize the steel as a public art project and has been in development since 2016. — Austen Erblat, sun-sentinel.com, "Remembering 9/11: Events planned throughout Broward County," 29 Aug. 2019 Elsewhere in Arizona, crews were installing 30-foot steel fencing Friday to replace older barriers next to a border crossing known as Lukeville Port of Entry, which is part of the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. — Greg Norman | Fox News, Fox News, "Border Patrol releases drone footage showing miles of ‘new wall system’ being built," 26 Aug. 2019 Caltrans plans to repaint the lower deck and towers to protect the steel and replace 30 expansion joints on the lower deck. — Will Houston, The Mercury News, "Richmond-San Rafael Bridge project gets $19.9 million from gas tax," 17 Aug. 2019 Honing steels are designed to gently return that curled metal to straightness. — Paul Stephen, ExpressNews.com, "Our guide to knives will give you an edge in the kitchen," 10 July 2019 This probably isn’t going to help EU-US trade relations Last year, Trump imposed steel and aluminum tariffs on many of the US’s allies, including the European Union. — Jen Kirby, Vox, "Cheese and whiskey are targeted in US’s latest proposed tariffs on EU," 2 July 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

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 Last summer, commuters steeled themselves for disruptions caused by Amtrak performing weeks of emergency track repair work at New York Penn Station. — Paul Berger, WSJ, "Long Island Rail Road’s New Chief Gets a Bumpy Start," 26 Aug. 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.