steep
1 Americanadjective
-
steeper,
comparative
-
steepest
superlative
-
having an almost vertical slope or pitch, or a relatively high gradient, as a hill, an ascent, stairs, etc.
-
(of a price or amount) unduly high; exorbitant.
Those prices are too steep for me.
-
extreme or incredible, as a statement or story.
-
high or lofty.
noun
verb (used with object)
-
steeps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
steeped,
past participle, past
-
steeping
present participle
-
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
-
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
-
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.
verb (used without object)
-
steeps,
present (3rd person singular)
-
steeped,
past participle, past
-
steeping
present participle
noun
-
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.
-
a liquid in which something is steeped.
Remove the flax from the steep after five to seven days of soaking.
idioms
adjective
-
-
having or being a slope or gradient approaching the perpendicular
-
( as noun )
the steep
-
-
informal (of a fee, price, demand, etc) unduly high; unreasonable (esp in the phrase that's a bit steep )
-
informal excessively demanding or ambitious
a steep task
-
informal (of a statement) extreme or far-fetched
-
obsolete elevated
verb
-
to soak or be soaked in a liquid in order to soften, cleanse, extract an element, etc
-
(tr; usually passive) to saturate; imbue
steeped in ideology
noun
-
an instance or the process of steeping or the condition of being steeped
-
a liquid or solution used for the purpose of steeping something
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
steepsimple
-
steepssimple
-
have steepedperfect
-
has steepedperfect
-
am steepingprogressive
-
are steepingprogressive
-
is steepingprogressive
-
have been steepingperfect progressive
-
has been steepingperfect progressive
Past
-
steepedsimple
-
had steepedperfect
-
was steepingprogressive
-
were steepingprogressive
-
had been steepingperfect progressive
Future
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”
Explanation
Steep means sharply angled. When hiking trails lead straight up mountainsides, they've got a steep incline. Steep also means "to soak in," as in steeping a tea bag in boiling water. You often hear steep used as an adjective to describe cliffs, hills, or even water park slides that have a perilous slope. Steep can apply to curves on a chart––you might say when someone who has a lot to learn that their learning curve is going to be steep. Steep also comes up to describe exorbitant changes in costs or spending. Everyone would love to travel more, but sometimes plane fare is too steep.
Vocabulary lists containing steep
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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.
See Examples For:
My aunt had a stairlift installed for her steep staircase when severe arthritis made the stairs dangerous for her.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
A steep slope makes water move quickly, while a shallow slope produces slower flow.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026
The decline is particularly steep at grassroots level, with a 10% dip in the number of female volunteer coaches - significantly affecting pathways in amateur sport.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
The bill—largest journalism relief plan in the U.S. to date—comes at a time of steep declines in local news outlets across the country.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
As we rounded the second steep turn in the trail, suddenly I came upon a sled lying on its side.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
Its streetwear business has suffered as the company faces steeper competition.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
At Volvo, Zellmer will face a steeper cost structure than the one that helps fuel Škoda’s profits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
The benchmarks were facing steeper declines before rebounding ahead of the close.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Such costs can be passed down to consumers through steeper prices for food and other staples, pushing up the overall cost of living.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
The hillside path which they were following became narrower all the time and the drop on their right hand became steeper.
From "The Horse and His Boy" by C.S. Lewis
Across the globe, bond yields are setting new highs with 10-year benchmarks at their steepest for thirty years in Japan, fifteen years for Germany and 18 years in the U.K.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
Blowout second-quarter results sent the chip maker’s shares surging 8.7%, their steepest one-day jump since April 2025, adding $442 billion to the company’s market value.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Healthcare costs are set for their steepest increase in at least two decades, with employers bracing for an 11% jump in prices next year, according to a new estimate from a benefits consulting firm.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
The steepest growth has been in acceptances to what Ucas calls "higher tariff" universities.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
It would be one of the largest buildings in the neighborhood—two stories, with very high ceilings and the steepest roof of any house she had ever seen.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
At Lawrence’s urging, George steeps himself in the classics, such as Plutarch and Seneca.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
Every day, she steeps herself in the worst imagery the internet has to offer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 31, 2026
Gut-Behrami came down immediately after Shiffrin and took a similar cautious approach on the steeps.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 24, 2023
Open since 2019, this via ferrata added a new summer component to Palisades Tahoe, the North Lake Tahoe ski resort famed for its steeps.
From New York Times ● Aug. 22, 2022
“That evil soaks into the soil. Some say it steeps and gets stronger. Maybe this isn’t the place. Maybe Gloria and I should have kept going after Virginia.”
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
The older Graham is portrayed as a sophisticated attorney, steeped in complex legal and business affairs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Even the fluffy rom-coms are steeped in real life’s anxieties about the social and political, the wars and the wages.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
Hansard's life was steeped in music, from first picking up a guitar as a teenager right until the final hours of his life, when he was performing in a traditional music session.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
And he rooted his holding in the alleged “original meaning” of the amendment through analysis that appeared to be steeped in historical texts.
From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026
“These rituals are empty,” Hizdahr declared, “just the sort of thing we must sweep aside. Meereen has been steeped in these foolish old traditions for too long.”
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Vance “has sought to surface a greater level of detail and nuance about the war,” it says, and “developed a reputation inside the Trump administration for steeping himself in operational detail.”
From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026
Not steeping in the anxiety of the past or future.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
Roberts put his academic background to work, steeping himself in traffic patterns and how search engines and users prioritized different types of content.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
For one thing, it benefits from steeping in its own juices; cooking it several hours ahead of serving, even a day before, is ideal.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 3, 2023
Now that Sula was dead and done with, they returned to a steeping resentment of the burdens of old people.
From "Sula" by Toni Morrison
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.
