steeple

[ stee-puh l ]

/ ˈsti pəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR steeple ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an ornamental construction, usually ending in a spire, erected on a roof or tower of a church, public building, etc.

a tower terminating in such a construction.

(loosely) a spire.

verb (used with object), stee·pled, stee·pling.

to provide with or form into a steeple or steeplelike configuration.

Nearby words

steen, steenbok, steenbras, steep, steepen, steeple, steeple cup, steeplebush, steeplechase, steeplechaser, steeplechasing

Origin of steeple

before 1000; Middle English stepel steeple, tower, Old English stēpel tower. See steep¹, -le

Related forms

stee·pled, adjectivestee·ple·less, adjectivestee·ple·like, adjectiveun·stee·pled, adjective

Can be confused

spire steeple

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for steeple

Note to Wall Street tourists: If you need to pee, look for the steeple.
Ringing in the New Year on Wall Street|Beau Willimon|January 5, 2010|DAILY BEAST
It was a pleasant assurance to have, those roofs and the steeple rising actually into the light of the sky.
The Sea and the Jungle|H. M. Tomlinson
The hand of the clock on Trinity's steeple pointed to four as we again approached the office of Randolph & Randolph.
Friday, the Thirteenth|Thomas W. Lawson
There was horse racing, steeple races, and chess for recreation.
Our Legal Heritage, 5th Ed.|S. A. Reilly

The steeple is complete in itself, and adapted to its situation, having the same appearance which ever way it is viewed.
The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction|Various
It is an heape of stones and men, with a vast confusion of languages, and were the steeple not sanctified, nothing liker Babell.
Old St. Paul's Cathedral|William Benham

British Dictionary definitions for steeple

steeple

/ (ˈstiːpəl) /

noun

a tall ornamental tower that forms the superstructure of a church, temple, etc

such a tower with the spire above it

any spire or pointed structure

Derived Forms

steepled, adjective

Word Origin for steeple

Old English stēpel; see steep 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012