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.

Nearby words

steamie, steaming, steampipe, steampunk, steamroll, steamroller, steamship, steamtight, steamy, steapsin, stear-

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

steamroller

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

adjective

RELATED CONTENT

Nearby words

Origin of steamroller

Examples from the Web for steam-roller

British Dictionary definitions for steam-roller

steamroller

steam roller

noun

verb