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:
Supporters say fire survivors shouldn’t owe hefty taxes when selling burned-out lots, arguing the break offers basic fairness for families facing insurance shortfalls and steep rebuilding costs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026
"We have people that come from far and wide. They've never seen a village that's on a big steep hill with so many businesses and residential properties."
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
AI-linked tech firms suffered steep losses after Amazon's quarterly report fell short of analyst expectations on profit and revenue, and Intel's expected income missed estimates owing to weak demand for PC processors and supply-chain problems.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
Until then, investors will continue to question the viability of this business and the steep investments being poured into it, he added.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026
I walked down the steep staircase, wondering how he made it to the bottom in his cast.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
One important question was whether the extraordinary global temperatures recorded in 2023 and 2024 were making the recent warming trend appear steeper than it actually was.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2026
“Whether she convinces voters that she’s actually the right choice, I think it’s a steeper climb,” said Flores, who worked with the independent candidate in the primary.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
The subscriber losses were steeper than Wall Street had expected and dragged on Comcast’s connectivity and platforms revenue, which fell 2.6% in the quarter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
Already, industries sensitive to interest rates, like housing, are under pressure from steeper borrowing costs.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
Starting perhaps a hundred feet below them on the steeper side of the mountain, the patch might have been designed expressly for fuel.
From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
On July 31, shares closed 25% lower in the steepest one-day decline since the record label went public in 2021.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
“We have the steepest skiing in Southern California,” Ramirez says, referring to the black diamond slopes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2026
The proposal sparked a sharp selloff, with Indonesian stocks posting their steepest drop since the 1998 Asian financial crisis.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
The cuts - the steepest since 2022 - will mainly affect its human resources, legal, product and technology teams and equates to around 6% of its total workforce.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
It wasn’t by the steepest waterfall, as I thought it would be, but considerably below and under, of all things, a dead oak.
From "On the Far Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
At Lawrence’s urging, George steeps himself in the classics, such as Plutarch and Seneca.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
Yet, for a university that steeps itself in its Trojan traditions, commencement had already been forced to bend with the times.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 16, 2025
At Ayu Bakehouse, Jacques steeps whole pandan leaves in coconut milk, eggs and sugar for hours until it morphs into a thick, creamy custard.
From Salon ● Feb. 3, 2025
Gut-Behrami came down immediately after Shiffrin and took a similar cautious approach on the steeps.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 24, 2023
“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
An unmarried medievalist steeped in the supernatural, James created tales of bachelor scholars whose thirst for the unknown awakens malevolent forces.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Still, for anyone remaining on the fence, it might not help that some of the pastors who’ve put their support behind Ramaswamy are steeped in controversy.
From Slate ● Oct. 23, 2026
Mr. Baitz’s contribution to the squabbling-clan genre proves to be a durable one—every bit as richly funny, but also steeped in authentic angst, as at its debut in 2011.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
The host led us to a booth, steeped in the aroma of grilled onions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
She was too steeped in the landscape of nightmare even to question it.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
For centuries, Mr. Tullett writes, the process relied on steeping old rags in chlorine; as demand grew, production shifted toward wood chips broken down with sulfites.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Those close to the 27-year-old say that true to his Uruguayan heritage, he takes the caffeinated beverage - made by steeping dry leaves in warm water - wherever he goes.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
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
“Let’s get off that. I’m steeping you some tea.”
From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
