steep

1 of 4

adjective

ˈstēp

Synonyms of steep next

: lofty, high

—used chiefly of a sea

: making a large angle with the plane of the horizon

: mounting or falling precipitously

the stairs were very steep

: being or characterized by a rapid and intensive decline or increase

: extremely or excessively high

steep prices

steepish

ˈstē-pish

adjective

steeply adverb

steepness noun

steep

2 of 4

verb

steeped; steeping; steeps

transitive verb

: to soak in a liquid at a temperature under the boiling point (as for softening, bleaching, or extracting an essence)

: to cover with or plunge into a liquid (as in bathing, rinsing, or soaking)

: to saturate with or subject thoroughly to (some strong or pervading influence)

practices steeped in tradition

intransitive verb

: to undergo the process of soaking in a liquid

steeper noun

steep

4 of 4

noun (2)

: the state or process of being steeped

: a bath or solution in which something is steeped

Choose the Right Synonym for steep

Adjective

steep, abrupt, precipitous, sheer mean having an incline approaching the perpendicular.

steep implies such sharpness of pitch that ascent or descent is very difficult.

a steep hill

a steep dive

abrupt implies a sharper pitch and a sudden break in the level.

a beach with an abrupt drop-off

precipitous applies to an incline approaching the vertical.

the river winds through a precipitous gorge

sheer suggests an unbroken perpendicular expanse.

sheer cliffs that daunted the climbers

Verb

soak, saturate, drench, steep, impregnate mean to permeate or be permeated with a liquid.

soak implies usually prolonged immersion as for softening or cleansing.

soak the garment in soapy water

saturate implies a resulting effect of complete absorption until no more liquid can be held.

a saturated sponge

drench implies a thorough wetting by something that pours down or is poured.

clothes drenched by a cloudburst

steep suggests either the extraction of an essence (as of tea leaves) by the liquid or the imparting of a quality (such as a color) to the thing immersed.

steep the tea for five minutes

impregnate implies a thorough interpenetration of one thing by another.

a cake strongly impregnated with brandy

Examples of steep in a Sentence

Adjective The stairs are very steep. a steep drop in prices The store's prices are too steep for me. Their rates are pretty steep. Verb Steep the tea for three minutes. The tea steeped for five minutes.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The European Commission—which provisionally approved the step in June after an inquiry found that Beijing’s state aid to auto manufacturers was unfair—now has free rein to impose steep tariffs for five years from the end of October. —

Eleanor Pringle, Fortune Europe, 4 Oct. 2024 Becca Gallas, director of the North Carolina Department of Transportation Division of Aviation, told CBS News by phone Friday that there has been a steep increase in government, search and rescue flights, as well as National Guard flights. —

Kris Van Cleave, CBS News, 4 Oct. 2024

Noun

The shorts are made out of durable nylon that stretches enough to allow you the range of motion to stand on a picnic table for no reason or hike the steeps of a Colorado mountain trail. —

Lisa Jhung, Outside Online, 27 July 2024 Increasing the time tea steeps increases the amount of caffeine and other components like theanine. —

Allison Herries, Verywell Health, 11 July 2024

Verb

The soups were the most generously portioned and came steeped with herbal medicine. —

Clarissa Wei, Bon Appétit, 16 Sep. 2024 Wicks’ creation is loaded with polyphenols and tastes several times more bitter than tea that has been steeped for too long. —

Siddhant Pusdekar, Journal Sentinel, 25 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for steep

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'steep.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English stepe, from Old English stēap high, steep, deep; akin to Old Frisian stāp steep, Middle High German stief — more at stoop

Verb

Middle English stepen

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (1)

1555, in the meaning defined above

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of steep was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Steep.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/steep. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

steep

1 of 3 adjective

ˈstēp

: having a very sharp slope : almost straight up-and-down

: being or characterized by a very rapid decline or increase

: too great or high

steep prices

steeply adverb

steep

2 of 3 noun

: a sharply sloping place

steep

3 of 3 verb

: to soak in liquid (as for drawing out a flavor) at a temperature under the boiling point

steep tea

: to undergo the process of soaking in a liquid

: to fill with or involve deeply

steeped in learning

Last Updated: 8 Oct 2024 - Updated example sentences

Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.

Can you solve 4 words at once?

Word of the Day

exorbitant

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

steep

adjective

noun (1)

verb

noun (2)

Synonyms

Examples of steep in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near steep

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition