steed
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
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 chief technology officer of the software company Palantir, Mr. Sankar comes at us with warnings of imminent danger, although not on a galloping steed.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 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
This image of Inez on a steed becomes central both to the movement and to director Leigh Silverman’s production, which finds simple yet striking ways of bringing revolutionary change to life.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 21, 2025
A campaign video of him cantering through fields on a white steed also helps.
From BBC • Dec. 10, 2024
Her trusty wolf steed was galloping just to the right of Mama Woof.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
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.
