steerage

[ steer-ij ]
See synonyms for steerage on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a part or division of a ship, formerly the part containing the steering apparatus.

  2. (in a passenger ship) the part or accommodations allotted to the passengers who travel at the cheapest rate.

Origin of steerage

1
First recorded in 1400–50, steerage is from the late Middle English word sterage.See steer1, -age

Words Nearby steerage

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

How to use steerage in a sentence

  • I carry with me into the steerage just a bit of self-consciousness—there are so many trying to play upon me.

    My Wonderful Visit | Charlie Chaplin

British Dictionary definitions for steerage

steerage

/ (ˈstɪərɪdʒ) /


noun
  1. the cheapest accommodation on a passenger ship, originally the compartments containing the steering apparatus

  2. an instance or the practice of steering and the effect of this on a vessel or vehicle

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