Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense steels, present participle steeling, past tense, past participle steeled
1. variable noun [oft NOUN noun]
Steel is a very strong metal which is made mainly from iron. Steel is used for making many things, for example bridges, buildings, vehicles, and cutlery.
...steel pipes.
...the iron and steel industry.
...a fall in demand for cement, bricks, steel and glass.
The front wall is made of corrugated steel.
2. See also stainless steel
3. uncountable noun [oft NOUN noun]
Steel is used to refer to the industry that produces steel and items made of steel.
...a three-month study of European steel.
The company has interests in steel and other products.
4. verb
If you steelyourself, you prepare to deal with something unpleasant.
Those involved are steeling themselves for the coming battle. [V pron-refl + for/against]
I was steeling myself to call round when Simon arrived. [VERB pronoun-reflexive to-infinitive]
steel in British English
(stiːl)
noun
1.
a.
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
b.
(as modifier)
steel girders
See also stainless steel
2.
something that is made of steel
3.
a steel stiffener in a corset, etc
4.
a ridged steel rod with a handle used for sharpening knives
5.
the quality of hardness, esp with regard to a person's character or attitudes
6. stock exchange
the quotation for steel shares
See also steels
7. (modifier)
resembling steel
steel determination
verb(transitive)
8.
to fit, plate, edge, or point with steel
9.
to make hard and unfeeling
he steeled his heart against her sorrow
he steeled himself for the blow
Derived forms
steely (ˈsteely)
adjective
steeliness (ˈsteeliness)
noun
Word origin
Old English stēli; related to Old High German stehli, Middle Dutch stael
Steel in British English
(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)
steel in American English
(stil)
noun
1.
a hard, tough metal composed of iron alloyed with various small percentages of carbon and often variously with other metals, as nickel, chromium, manganese,etc., to produce hardness, resistance to rusting, etc.
2.
something made of steel
; specif.,
a. OLD-FASHIONED, Poetic
a sword or dagger
b.
a piece of steel used with flint for making sparks
c.
a steel strip used for stiffening
d.
a roughened steel rod on which to sharpen knives
3.
great strength, hardness, or toughness
4. [often pl.]
shares of stock in steel-making companies
5. Informal
steel guitar
adjective
6.
of or like steel
verb transitive
7.
to cover or edge with steel
8.
to make hard, tough, unfeeling, etc.
Word origin
ME stel < OE stiele, stæli, akin to Ger stahl < IE *stak-, to stand: see stay3
steel in Automotive Engineering
(stil)
noun
(Automotive engineering: Materials)
Steel is a very strong metal which is made mainly from iron. Steel is used for making vehicles.
Sheet steel is pressed into the shapes of the various panels of the car and welded together.
The vehicle is very well-built with thick steel panels and neat join lines between floorpan and body.
Mechanics stripped the engine bay, sills, and wheel arches right back to bare metaljust to make sure that the steel underneath was in good condition.
steel in Mechanical Engineering
(stil)
noun
(Mechanical engineering: Materials)
Steel is any iron-based alloy containing less than 1.5 percent carbon.
Steel, an alloy consisting mostly of iron and a small amount of carbon, is one of the mostcommon materials in the world.
Any steel containing thirteen or more percent chromium is classified as stainless.
Steel is any iron-based alloy containing less than 1.5 percent carbon.
carbon steel, stainless steel
Examples of 'steel' in a sentence
steel
He stepped over to it and grasped the steel handle.
Zindell, David The Broken God (1993)
These meals are prepared in stainless steel or glass containers.
Randolph, Theron G. & Moss, Ralph W. (contributor) An Alternative Approach to Allergies (1990)
The hut has a steel frame and shutters that open outwards and upwards to provide shade.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
This pleasing effect softens the hard steel lines and shields the precipitous drop to the road below.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The deals made him a leading force in the iron and steel industry.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Off we went through shabby lanes of light industrial shops in cold concrete with steel shutters.
Charles Glass The Tribes Triumphant (2006)
She nods at the stainless steel bin by the coffee counter.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The opportunity for our generation to have something more than a steel mill job means something.
The Sun (2007)
There are so many towns where we used to make cars or steel.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The drive and lawns are framed with steel edging.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
It blamed the slump in the steel industry.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
In captivity they run into a wall of concrete and steel.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
It is not only British steel plants that have thrown in the towel.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
At least another 7,000 jobs were dependent on the steel plant.
The Sun (2015)
Step through the glass doors and modern design abounds: wood and stone blend with glass and steel.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The group also said that it was prepared to cut production by up to 15 per cent to maintain steel prices.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Association is understood to be seeking a cap of 10 per cent on crude steel output growth this year to stabilise prices.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
It also recycles metal and supplies steel mills in China and India.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Word lists with
steel
alloy, alloys, metal
In other languages
steel
British English: steel /stiːl/ NOUN
Steel is a very strong metal made mainly from iron.
The pipes were made of steel.
American English: steel
Arabic: صُلْب
Brazilian Portuguese: aço
Chinese: 钢
Croatian: čelik
Czech: ocel
Danish: stål
Dutch: staal
European Spanish: acero
Finnish: teräs
French: acier
German: Stahl
Greek: ατσάλι
Italian: acciaio
Japanese: 鋼鉄
Korean: 강철
Norwegian: stål
Polish: stal
European Portuguese: aço
Romanian: oțel
Russian: сталь
Latin American Spanish: acero
Swedish: stål
Thai: เหล็ก
Turkish: çelik
Ukrainian: сталь
Vietnamese: thép
British English: steel VERB
If you steel yourself, you prepare to deal with something unpleasant.
Those involved are steeling themselves for the coming battle.
American English: steel
Brazilian Portuguese: preparar-se
Chinese: 使准备应对不愉快之事
European Spanish: prepararse para hacer frente a
French: préparer
German: stählen
Italian: predisporre
Japanese: 覚悟を決める
Korean: 마음을 굳게 먹다
European Portuguese: preparar-se
Latin American Spanish: prepararse para hacer frente a
All related terms of 'steel'
alloy steel
steel that has been alloyed with one or more other metals or elements to improve specific properties such as strength or resistance to wear
cast steel
steel containing varying amounts of carbon, manganese , phosphorus , silicon , and sulphur that is cast into shape rather than wrought
cold steel
the use of bayonets , knives , etc, in combat
crude steel
unrefined steel
mild steel
any of a class of strong tough steels that contain a low quantity of carbon (0.1–0.25 per cent )
soft steel
any of a class of strong tough steels that contain a low quantity of carbon (0.1–0.25 per cent )
steel band
A steel band is a band of people who play music on special metal drums. Steel bands started in the West Indies .
steel blue
a dark bluish-grey colour
steel-clad
covered with steel ; steel-panelled
steel drum
a bowl-shaped percussion instrument common in the West Indies , made from a steel barrel divided into sections producing different notes when struck
steel gray
a bluish-gray color
steel grey
a dark grey colour, usually slightly purple
steel mill
a factory that makes steel
steel tape
a metal tape measure
steel trap
a trap for catching animals, consisting of spring-operated steel jaws with sharp projections that clamp shut
steel wool
Steel wool is a mass of fine steel threads twisted together into a small ball and used for cleaning hard surfaces or removing paint .
tool steel
any of various steels whose hardness and ability to retain a cutting edge make them suitable for use in tools for cutting wood and metal
carbon steel
steel whose characteristics are determined by the amount of carbon it contains
chrome steel
any of various hard rust-resistant steels containing chromium
damask steel
→ Damascus steel
magnet steel
steel used for the manufacture of permanent magnets , often having a high cobalt content and smaller amounts of nickel , aluminium , or copper
nickel steel
steel containing between 0.5 and 6.0 per cent nickel to increase its strength
steel guitar
a type of guitar , now esp. an electric guitar, with raised metal strings , held on the lap or mounted on legs and played by plucking while sliding a steel bar across the strings to change the pitch
steel helmet
a helmet made of steel
steel-plated
covered with steel
tubular steel
steel in the shape of a cylinder or long narrow rectangle ; tube-shaped steel
chromium steel
a very hard alloy steel containing chromium
crucible steel
a high-quality steel made by melting wrought iron, charcoal , and other additives in a crucible
Damascus steel
a hard flexible steel with wavy markings caused by forging the metal in strips : used for sword blades
end of steel
a point up to which railway tracks have been laid
manganese steel
any very hard steel containing manganese (11–14 per cent ), used in dredger buckets , rock-crushers, railway points, etc
maraging steel
strong low-carbon steel containing nickel and small amounts of titanium , aluminium , and niobium , produced by transforming to a martensitic structure and heating at 500°C
stainless steel
Stainless steel is a metal made from steel and chromium which does not rust .
steel engraving
a method or art of engraving ( letters , etc) on a steel plate
steel industry
the industrial sector that produces and trades in steel
tungsten steel
any of various hard steels containing tungsten (1–20 per cent ) and traces of carbon . They are resistant to wear at high temperatures and are used in tools
vanadium steel
steel containing up to 0.5 per cent vanadium , usually with 1.1–1.5 per cent chromium and 0.4–0.5 per cent carbon to increase its tensile strength and elasticity
structural steel
a strong mild steel used in construction work
high-carbon steel
steel containing between 0.5 and 1.5 per cent carbon
high-speed steel
any of various steels that retain their hardness at high temperatures and are thus suitable for making tools used on lathes and other high-speed machines
high-tensile steel
low-alloy steel which can withstand great strain without breaking or becoming deformed , having a yield strength range of 50,000 to 100,000 pounds per square inch
low-carbon steel
steel containing between 0.04 and 0.25 per cent carbon
pedal steel guitar
a floor-mounted, multi-neck, lap steel guitar with each set of strings tuned to a different open chord and foot pedals to raise or lower the pitch
rolled-steel joist
a steel beam , esp one with a cross section in the form of a letter H or I
carbon steel piping
Carbon steel piping is pipes made of steel with carbon as the main alloying component , used for transporting fluids.
pedal steel (guitar)
a steel guitar mounted on legs and equipped with pedals that serve as an additional means of changing pitch
tubular steel chair
a chair with a frame made of tubular steel
steely blue
a dark bluish-grey colour
steelworker
A steelworker is a person who works in a factory where steel is made.
austenitic stainless steel
an alloy of iron , usually containing at least 8 per cent of nickel and 18 per cent of chromium , used where corrosion resistance , heat resistance, creep resistance, or nonmagnetic properties are required