steed
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
- steedlike adjective
Etymology
Origin of steed
before 900; Middle English stēde, Old English stēda stallion; akin to stōd stud 2; compare German Stute
Explanation
A steed is horse used for riding. In adventure stories set in the Middle Ages, knights are always galloping around on their trusty steeds. The noun steed is a very old-fashioned way to say "horse." In Middle English, a steed was distinguished as "a great horse," as opposed to a palfrey, an ordinary, everyday horse. So a steed was typically a war horse that carried warriors into battle. Since the 16th century, this word has primarily been used in literary contexts.
Vocabulary lists containing steed
Tolkien Reading Day, List 4
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Enchanted Air
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Unit 2, Week 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The jarring images of the king’s brother astride a steed sparked an immediate reaction in Buckingham Palace.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 4, 2026
If the clomping hooves from the first horseman’s approaching steed got too loud, we’d just turn the music up.
From Salon • Dec. 21, 2025
Federal agents on horseback with a white steed in the middle trotted through a soccer field.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 8, 2025
Beside him stood a toy horse and a selection of gaudy sombreros for children to wear astride the spotted steed.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 24, 2023
Gwydion hauled Taran into the saddle behind him, spoke a quiet command, and the white steed moved quickly into the rising mist.
From "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
