steamroller

[ steem-roh-ler ]

/ ˈstimˌroʊ lər /

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See synonyms for steamroller on Thesaurus.com

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.

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Origin of steamroller

First recorded in 1865–70; steam + roller¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for steamroller

In 2006, the firm presided over a routine steam-injection procedure known as “well stimulation.”
The Fiery Underground Oil Pit Eating L.A.|Geoff Manaugh|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They're made to make a lot of money and to get teenagers in a kind of experience, a roller coaster ride.
‘The Babadook’ Is the Best (and Most Sincere) Horror Movie of the Year|Samuel Fragoso|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Parenting a kid that can get from place to place under his own steam is a whole new ballgame.
Kids Eat the Darndest Things: Laundry Pods, Teething Necklaces, and More Of The Weirdest Stuff Sending Kids to the E.R.|Russell Saunders|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But as one deadly malady loses steam, another may be exploding: hunger.
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Either way, the Navy is proceeding full steam ahead in preparing the DDG-1000 for sea.
Can the Navy's $12 Billion Stealth Destroyer Stay Afloat?|Dave Majumdar|October 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A colossal steam "traveller" had ceaselessly carried great blocks of stone and long steel girders from point to point.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
Two huge steam engines had snorted and puffed for three whole years.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
Greenlaw (Charles P.), his efforts in obtaining steam for India, 560.
Notes and Queries, Index to Eighth Volume, July-December 1853|Various
The steamboat of 1809 and the steam locomotive of 1830 were the direct result of what had gone before.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
The Comet started on her first trip up the Arkansas, being the first steam boat that ascended that river.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell

British Dictionary definitions for steamroller

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

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