steepadjective
uk/stiːp/us/stiːp/steep adjective (NOT GRADUAL)
B1 (of a slope) rising or falling at a sharp angle:
a steep slope
It's a steep climb to the top of the mountain, but the view is worth it.
The castle is set on a steep hill/hillside.
C1 A steep rise or fall is one that goes very quickly from low to high or from high to low:
There has been a steep increase/rise in prices.
More examples
- She scrambled up the steep hillside and over the rocks.
- There's a very steep slope just before you reach the top of the mountain.
- I had to climb a steep flight of stairs to her front door.
- The car's speed slackened off as it went up a steep hill.
- House prices now seem to be levelling off after the steep rises of the last few years.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Slanting, sloping, leaning, tilting
- angle
- askew
- bank
- cocked
- cockeyed
- fall away
- obliquely
- pitch
- pitched
- rake
- raked
- roll
- shelve
- skew
- slanted
- slope
- steepen
- tilt
- tip (sth/sb) over
- yaw
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Geography: hills & mountains
steep adjective (TOO MUCH)
informal (especially of prices) too much, or more than is reasonable:
They are having to face very steep taxes.
We enjoyed our meal at the restaurant, but the bill was a bit steep.
The membership fees at the golf club are pretty steep.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Costing too much
- break
- capital intensive
- cheap
- cost
- cost an arm and a leg/a small fortune idiom
- costly
- daylight robbery
- highway robbery
- knock
- knock sb back (sth)
- money pit
- not come cheap idiom
- odds
- over the odds idiom
- overcharge
- pretty
- pricey
- set sb back (sth)
- stiff
- usury
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steepness
noun [ U ] uk/ˈstiːp.nəs/us/ˈstiːp.nəs/
steepverb [ I or T ]
uk/stiːp/us/stiːp/to cause to stay in a liquid, especially in order to become soft or clean, or to improve flavour:
Leave the cloth to steep in the dye overnight.
We had pears steeped in red wine for dessert.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Enclosing, surrounding and immersing
- beleaguer
- beleaguered
- beset
- border
- box sb/sth in
- dunk
- fence sth in
- fence sth off
- flood
- flooding
- gather
- gift-wrap
- gift-wrapped
- surround
- swallow
- wall sth off
- wound 1
- wrap
- wrap (sb) up
- wrap sth around sb/sth
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Idiom(s)
steeped in blood
Phrasal verb(s)
steep sth/sb in sth