steep

¹ American  

[steep] / stip /

adjective

steeper, steepest

1. having an almost vertical slope or pitch, or a relatively high gradient, as a hill, an ascent, stairs, etc.

2. (of a price or amount) unduly high; exorbitant.

   Those prices are too steep for me.

3. extreme or incredible, as a statement or story.

4. high or lofty.

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noun

1. a steep place; declivity, as of a hill.

steep ² American  

[steep] / stip /

verb (used with object)

1. to soak in water or other liquid in order to soften, cleanse, extract flavor or a particular ingredient, etc..

   Pour boiling water over the mint leaves and steep them for 5 minutes.

   Tapa cloth is made by steeping the thin bark of the paper mulberry tree in water and then scraping and beating it to the desired texture.

   Synonyms:

   infuse

2. to wet thoroughly in or with a liquid; drench; saturate; imbue.

   She isn't the only one whose belongings have been steeped in dirty floodwater—many of her neighbors are experiencing the same.

   Synonyms:

   permeate

3. to immerse in a particular kind of experience or area of learning, fill or saturate with a particular quality, etc., over a long period.

   Steep your children in the values of honesty, kindness, dependability, and determination.

   Synonyms:

   infuse, imbue

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verb (used without object)

1. to sit soaking in water or other liquid for softening, cleansing, the extraction of a flavor or particular ingredient, etc..

   Your tea is steeping.

   Let the raisins steep for a few days, allowing their natural sweetness to infuse the alcohol.

noun

1. the act or process of steeping or the state of being steeped (often used attributively).

   For brewer’s malt, the steep takes a day or two, followed by germination and kilning.

   I was only giving my cold brew about eight hours of steep time instead of the recommended 16 to 18.

2. a liquid in which something is steeped.

   Remove the flax from the steep after five to seven days of soaking.

idioms

1. steeped in, immersed in a particular kind of experience or area of learning, filled or saturated with a particular quality, etc..

   Cities like Rome or Florence are steeped in tradition and history, yet still vibrate with the life of a modern city.

   As a former congressman and ambassador, he was steeped in diplomacy, and often consulted as a mediator.

steep ¹ British  

/ stiːp /

adjective

1. 1. having or being a slope or gradient approaching the perpendicular

   2. ( as noun )

      the steep

2. informal (of a fee, price, demand, etc) unduly high; unreasonable (esp in the phrase that's a bit steep )

3. informal excessively demanding or ambitious

   a steep task

4. informal (of a statement) extreme or far-fetched

5. obsolete elevated

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steep ² British  

/ stiːp /

verb

1. to soak or be soaked in a liquid in order to soften, cleanse, extract an element, etc

2. (tr; usually passive) to saturate; imbue

   steeped in ideology

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noun

1. an instance or the process of steeping or the condition of being steeped

2. a liquid or solution used for the purpose of steeping something

Other Word Forms

• steeper noun
• steeply adverb
• steepness noun
• unsteeped adjective

Etymology

Origin of steep¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English adjective step(e), steppe, Old English stēap “lofty, towering”; akin to stoop ¹

Origin of steep²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English verb stepen; further origin obscure; compare Old Icelandic steypa “to throw down, pour out,” Swedish stöpa “to cast”

Example Sentences

That’s partly because the Covid-19 pandemic had led to a steep decline in new car sales in 2020—draining the number of used cars available to purchase a few years later.

From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026

The chemically equivalent generic costs $160 per dose — a steep discount from the brand-name version at $3,000 a dose.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

Kavanagh had never set foot in the state and part of his steep California learning curve was devouring as many newspapers — back when they abounded — as he could.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2026

Since its deal with Just Eat, Grubhub was sold again at a steep discount to its earlier valuation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

The jackalope bounded across the emerald fields, and though he was going uphill for steep climbs, he didn’t seem bothered one bit.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova

Related Words

• bathe
• drench
• imbue
• immerse
• infuse
• ingrain
• marinate
• permeate
• saturate
• soak
• submerge
• suffuse