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
Synonyms
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
Sin To, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
Tiny House Modern Prefab Steel Home, 20-feet $11,700 at Amazon
Made of steel, this prefab house comes backed with a three-year warranty and lifetime maintenance.
—Staff Author, Travel + Leisure, 14 Dec. 2024
Erika Tulfo, CNN, 15 Dec. 2024
In the Cold War years, as the US sought to limit the spread of communism abroad, political leaders promoted the concept of domestic containment at home to steel American society against the purportedly undermining influences of socialism.
—Elizabeth Friend, Longreads, 29 Oct. 2024
Sophie Haigney, Curbed, 13 July 2021
See all Example Sentences for steel 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
While not as big as the Suez Canal, around eight million tons of goods have been transported via the Moselle River this year, including ore, metal waste, steel, petroleum, building materials and agricultural products.
—Sin To, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
Tiny House Modern Prefab Steel Home, 20-feet $11,700 at Amazon
Made of steel, this prefab house comes backed with a three-year warranty and lifetime maintenance.
—Staff Author, Travel + Leisure, 14 Dec. 2024
Verb
Companies have also been steeling themselves for a busier-than-usual holiday season.
—Erika Tulfo, CNN, 15 Dec. 2024
In the Cold War years, as the US sought to limit the spread of communism abroad, political leaders promoted the concept of domestic containment at home to steel American society against the purportedly undermining influences of socialism.
—Elizabeth Friend, Longreads, 29 Oct. 2024
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
Dictionary Entries Near steel
Cite this Entry
“Steel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/steel. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share