Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

steel

American  
[steel] / stil /

noun

  1. any of various modified forms of iron, artificially produced, having a carbon content less than that of pig iron and more than that of wrought iron, and having qualities of hardness, elasticity, and strength varying according to composition and heat treatment: generally categorized as having a high, medium, or low-carbon content.

  2. a thing or things made of this metal.

  3. a flat strip of this metal used for stiffening, especially in corsets; stay.

  4. a bar of this metal that has one end formed to hold a bit for driving through rock.

  5. steels, stocks or bonds of companies producing this metal.

  6. a sword.

  7. a rounded rod of ridged steel, fitted with a handle and used especially for sharpening knives.


adjective

  1. pertaining to or made of steel.

  2. like steel in color, hardness, or strength.

verb (used with object)

  1. to fit with steel, as by pointing, edging, or overlaying.

  2. to cause to resemble steel in some way.

  3. to render insensible, inflexible, unyielding, determined, etc..

    He steeled himself to perform the dangerous task.

steel 1 British  
/ stiːl /

noun

    1. any of various alloys based on iron containing carbon (usually 0.1–1.7 per cent) and often small quantities of other elements such as phosphorus, sulphur, manganese, chromium, and nickel. Steels exhibit a variety of properties, such as strength, machinability, malleability, etc, depending on their composition and the way they have been treated

    2. ( as modifier ) See also stainless steel

      steel girders

  1. something that is made of steel

  2. a steel stiffener in a corset, etc

  3. a ridged steel rod with a handle used for sharpening knives

  4. the quality of hardness, esp with regard to a person's character or attitudes

  5. stock exchange the quotation for steel shares See also steels

  6. (modifier) resembling steel

    steel determination

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to fit, plate, edge, or point with steel

  2. to make hard and unfeeling

    he steeled his heart against her sorrow

    he steeled himself for the blow

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Steel 2 British  
/ stiːl /

noun

  1. Danielle, full name Danielle Fernande Schüelein-Steel. born 1950, US writer of romantic fiction

  2. Baron David ( Martin Scott ). born 1938, British politician; leader of the Liberal Party (1976–88); Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament (1999–2003)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

steel Scientific  
/ stēl /
  1. Any of various hard, strong, flexible alloys of iron and carbon. Often, other metals are added to give steel a particular property, such as chromium and nickel to make it stainless. Steel is widely used in many kinds of tools and as a structural material in building.


steel Idioms  

    More idioms and phrases containing steel

    • mind like a steel trap

Other Word Forms

  • presteel noun
  • steeliness noun
  • steellike adjective
  • steely adjective

Etymology

Origin of steel

before 900; (noun) Middle English stele, Old English (north) stēle; cognate with Dutch staal, German Stahl, Old Norse stāl; (v.) Middle English stelen, Old English styled edged with steel, derivative of the noun

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The country exports to both the U.S. and China — mainly steel, fuels and aerospace products to Americans, and mostly soybeans, iron ore and crude petroleum to the Chinese.

From Los Angeles Times

Semiconductor shipments—accounting for over a quarter of total exports—more than doubled from a year earlier to a record $25.16 billion in February, outweighing declines in auto, petrochemical and steel shipments, the data showed.

From The Wall Street Journal

For instance, in 2009, Stern apparently describes a Beijing dinner at the house of a friend who made a "fortune in steel".

From BBC

Simmons’ property was designed by Swiss architect Roger P. Kurath and is made of “glass, steel, oak wood and concrete elements,” which emphasize the sweeping views of the mountains, valleys, and ocean.

From MarketWatch

In 2017, they bought a former steel works and an abandoned bleach factory next door for $25 million and started hosting the Mirage in the lot between them.

From The Wall Street Journal