steeple

[ stee-puh l ]

/ ˈsti pəl /

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.

Words nearby steeple

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

OTHER WORDS FROM steeple

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

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH steeple

spire steeple

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

Examples from the Web for steepled

Alan steepled his fingers and tried to look serious and committed.
Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town|Cory Doctorow
The government representative inhaled deeply and steepled his manicured fingers.
Measure for a Loner|James Judson Harmon
Otherwise, Chair of Committees might have been steepled with my gore.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 104, March 11, 1893|Various
This dare-devil boy-god that sauntered along with a town in its pocket, and a steepled church under its arm for a moment's toy!
The River and I|John G. Neihardt

The square-fronted stores, the steepled churches, the neat residences, rows of trees planted along either side of the streets.
In to the Yukon|William Seymour Edwards

British Dictionary definitions for steepled

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 of steeple

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