stainless steel

American  

noun

1. alloy steel containing 12 percent or more chromium, so as to be resistant to rust and attack from various chemicals.

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stainless steel British  

noun

1. 1. a type of steel resistant to corrosion as a result of the presence of large amounts of chromium (12–15 per cent). The carbon content depends on the application, being 0.2–0.4 per cent for steel used in cutlery, etc, and about 1 per cent for use in scalpels and razor blades

   2. ( as modifier )

      stainless-steel cutlery

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stainless steel Scientific  

/ stān′lĭs /

1. Any of various alloys of iron that contain chromium, nickel, and small amounts of carbon. They may also contain minor amounts of other elements, such as molybdenum. Stainless steel is resistant to rusting and corrosion.

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Etymology

Origin of stainless steel

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

By 1926, things that at the century’s dawn had never been a part of daily life—vacuum cleaners, humans taking flight, military tanks, stainless steel—suddenly were.

From The Wall Street Journal

Exports of 300 specific steel products, including stainless steel, will be subject to authorities’ approval, according to a list published by the commerce ministry.

From The Wall Street Journal

She recently put in a third reorder for a new line of chunky jewelry, made of stainless steel covered with 18-karat gold.

From The Wall Street Journal

Gehry’s first skyscraper, 8 Spruce, reimagined the Manhattan high-rise as a kind of gleaming, pleated fabric, its shifted stainless steel panels rippling downward, catching daylight in a constantly shifting display.

From Los Angeles Times

Aged in stainless steel and neutral oak, it’s dry and well-balanced, with a bright but not overly assertive acidity, deft minerality and pleasingly delicate persistence in the mouth.

From The Wall Street Journal