steamroller

[ steem-roh-ler ]

/ ˈstimˌroʊ lər /

noun

a heavy steam-powered vehicle having a roller for crushing, compacting, or leveling materials used for a road or the like.

(not in technical use) any similar vehicle with a roller.

an overpowering force, especially one that crushes all opposition with ruthless disregard for individual rights.

verb (used with object)

to crush or flatten with a steamroller.

to overcome with superior force: to steamroller the competition.

to bring about the adoption of by overwhelming pressure: to steamroller the resolution through.

verb (used without object)

to proceed with implacable force.

adjective

suggestive of a steamroller; ruthlessly overpowering: steamroller tactics.

Origin of steamroller

First recorded in 1865–70; steam + roller¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for steam-roller

His gaze came to rest upon a steam-roller, ponderously clanking over a railed-off portion of the street.
Our Square and the People in It|Samuel Hopkins Adams
As friendly constable shepherds her through crowd, she incontinently becomes a steam-roller.
The Nurserymatograph|A Lawyer
There was much talk in the Press about the "steam-roller" which was going to flatten the Central Powers out.
Experiences of a Dug-out, 1914-1918|Sir Stanley Maude
He might have been run over by a steam-roller for all I know!
A Vision of Venus|Harry Pleon

Within twenty minutes a steam-roller had arrived—goodness knows where it had materialized from!
Italy at War and the Allies in the West|E. Alexander Powell

British Dictionary definitions for steam-roller

steamroller

steam roller

/ (ˈstiːmˌrəʊlə) /

noun

a steam-powered vehicle with heavy rollers at the front and rear used for compressing road surfaces during road-making
another word for roadroller

an overpowering force or a person with such force that overcomes all opposition
(as modifier)steamroller tactics

verb

(tr) to crush (opposition, etc) by overpowering force

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

Word Origin and History for steam-roller

steam-roller

also steamroller, 1866, from steam (n.) + roller. As a verb, first recorded 1912. Related: Steam-rollered.

steamroller

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

adjective

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Nearby words

Origin of steamroller

Examples from the Web for steam-roller

steamroller

steam roller

noun

verb

steam-roller