steep

1
[ steep ]
See synonyms for: steepsteepedsteepersteepness on Thesaurus.com

adjective,steep·er, steep·est.
  1. having an almost vertical slope or pitch, or a relatively high gradient, as a hill, an ascent, stairs, etc.

  2. (of a price or amount) unduly high; exorbitant: Those prices are too steep for me.

  1. extreme or incredible, as a statement or story.

  2. high or lofty.

noun
  1. a steep place; declivity, as of a hill.

Origin of steep

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English adjective step(e), steppe, Old English stēap “lofty, towering”; akin to stoop1

Other words from steep

  • steeply, adverb
  • steepness, noun

Other definitions for steep (2 of 2)

steep2
[ steep ]

verb (used with object)
  1. to soak in water or other liquid in order to soften, cleanse, extract flavor or a particular ingredient, etc.: Pour boiling water over the mint leaves and steep them for 5 minutes.Tapa cloth is made by steeping the thin bark of the paper mulberry tree in water and then scraping and beating it to the desired texture.

  2. to wet thoroughly in or with a liquid; drench; saturate; imbue: She isn't the only one whose belongings have been steeped in dirty floodwater—many of her neighbors are experiencing the same.

  1. to immerse in a particular kind of experience or area of learning, fill or saturate with a particular quality, etc., over a long period: Steep your children in the values of honesty, kindness, dependability, and determination.

verb (used without object)
  1. to sit soaking in water or other liquid for softening, cleansing, the extraction of a flavor or particular ingredient, etc.: Your tea is steeping.Let the raisins steep for a few days, allowing their natural sweetness to infuse the alcohol.

noun
  1. the act or process of steeping or the state of being steeped (often used attributively): For brewer’s malt, the steep takes a day or two, followed by germination and kilning.I was only giving my cold brew about eight hours of steep time instead of the recommended 16 to 18.

  2. a liquid in which something is steeped: Remove the flax from the steep after five to seven days of soaking.

Origin of steep

2
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English verb stepen; further origin obscure; compare Old Icelandic steypa “to throw down, pour out,” Swedish stöpa “to cast”

Other words for steep

Other words from steep

  • steep·er, noun
  • un·steeped, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use steep in a sentence

  • The mountain slope had been steadily growing steeper beneath them, and they had not yet reached the bench.

    The Gold Trail | Harold Bindloss
  • It was a clean fetch back, but the wind was heavier and the sea steeper than on coming over.

    Yachting Vol. 2 | Various.
  • The path dwindled to a mere track, and the climbing became steeper still.

  • As the path under the firs grew steeper still, John Willie wondered whether she would have kept her word to him.

    Mushroom Town | Oliver Onions
  • At length we followed the path up a steeper rise crowned by two chortens between which it passes.

    Mount Everest the Reconnaissance, 1921 | Charles Kenneth Howard-Bury

British Dictionary definitions for steep (1 of 2)

steep1

/ (stiːp) /


adjective
    • having or being a slope or gradient approaching the perpendicular

    • (as noun): the steep

  1. informal (of a fee, price, demand, etc) unduly high; unreasonable (esp in the phrase that's a bit steep)

  1. informal excessively demanding or ambitious: a steep task

  2. British informal (of a statement) extreme or far-fetched

  3. obsolete elevated

Origin of steep

1
Old English steap; related to Old Frisian stāp, Old High German stouf cliff, Old Norse staup

Derived forms of steep

  • steeply, adverb
  • steepness, noun

British Dictionary definitions for steep (2 of 2)

steep2

/ (stiːp) /


verb
  1. to soak or be soaked in a liquid in order to soften, cleanse, extract an element, etc

  2. (tr; usually passive) to saturate; imbue: steeped in ideology

noun
  1. an instance or the process of steeping or the condition of being steeped

  2. a liquid or solution used for the purpose of steeping something

Origin of steep

2
Old English stēpan; related to steap vessel, cup, Old High German stouf, Old Norse staup, Middle Dutch stōp

Derived forms of steep

  • steeper, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012