steel
an alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon; widely used in construction; mechanical properties can be varied over a wide range
How often you will meet it
Rank 2,346 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 7,392 times across 155,370 chapters — 0.004% of every word in the library.
What it means
noun
- an alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon; widely used in construction; mechanical properties can be varied over a wide range
- a cutting or thrusting weapon that has a long metal blade and a hilt with a hand guard also: sword, blade, brand
- knife sharpener consisting of a ridged steel rod
verb
- get ready for something difficult or unpleasant also: nerve
- cover, plate, or edge with steel
steel in real books
Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.
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It was the force of the magnet to the steel.
The Shadow of a Crime: A Cumbrian Romance · Hall, Sir Caine · Chapter 1
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Yes, it was for the long palette-knife, with its thin blade of lithe steel.
The Picture of Dorian Gray · Oscar Wilde · Chapter 2
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But we couldn't smoke, because we had been heedless and left our flint and steel behind.
The Mysterious Stranger, and Other Stories · Mark Twain · Chapter 2
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But they wandered off into the Pressed Steel Car Company, till it got so tiresome I ached all over.
The Motormaniacs · Lloyd Osbourne · Chapter 1
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Mid-ships with iron keel Struck we her ribs of steel Down her black hulk did reel Through the black water!
The Complete Poetical Works of Henry · Henry Wadsworth Longfellow · Chapter 1