steelnoun [ U ]
uk/stiːl/us/stiːl/B2 a strong metal that is a mixture of iron and carbon, used for making things that need a strong structure, especially vehicles and buildings:
steel girders/rods/struts
a steel helmet
a steel-plated army truck
More examples
- a steel mill
- Coke is used in the production of steel.
- The concrete is strengthened with steel rods.
- Guitar strings nowadays are made from steel or nylon.
- The gates were locked with a padlock and a heavy steel chain.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Chemistry: metals & metalworking
- amalgam
- arc welding
- brass
- cast iron
- Duralumin
- ferromagnetic
- ferromagnetism
- gilt
- heavy metal
- magneto
- metallurgy
- metalwork
- pewter
- silver plate
- soldering iron
- spot-welding
- titanium
- tungsten
- weld
- welder
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steelverb
uk/stiːl/us/stiːl/steel yourself
to force yourself to get ready to do something unpleasant or difficult:
[ + to infinitive ] She steeled herself to jump out of the plane.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Preparing
- batten
- batten down the hatches idiom
- break sb in
- build-up
- calibrate
- dig
- draw
- gear
- gird
- gird yourself idiom
- groundwork
- homework
- lay the basis/foundations for sth idiom
- preparation
- roll
- set the scene/stage idiom
- suit
- suit up
- work (yourself) up to sth
- work your way around to sth idiom
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