steep

¹

[ steep ]

adjective

, steep·er, steep·est.

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.

noun

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

steep

²

[ steep ]

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

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.

steep

¹

/ 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

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

steep

²

/ 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

Derived Forms

• ˈsteeper, noun
• ˈsteepness, noun
• ˈsteeply, adverb

Other Words From

• steeply adverb
• steepness noun

Word History and Origins

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”

Word History and Origins

Origin of steep¹

Old English stēpan; related to steap vessel, cup, Old High German stouf, Old Norse staup, Middle Dutch stōp

Origin of steep²

Old English steap; related to Old Frisian stāp, Old High German stouf cliff, Old Norse staup

Idioms and Phrases

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.

Example Sentences

They have placed the work in a way that allows visitors to steep themselves in the outdoors and to respond, without feeling herded or driven, to the moods of forest and hill, snow and sunlight.

From Washington Post

The angle on the way down is so steep, you brace yourself on the seat in front of you as if you’re doing a push-up.

From Time

The Rafferty Lift takes me to the resort’s main intermediate area, but the runs back to the bottom are steeper than any advanced run I’ve seen before.

From Washington Post

Once you reach adulthood, you typically start losing about one percent of your strength per year, with a steeper decline in your 60s and beyond.

From Outside Online

She pushed Nicholas Gross to set steep goals, but she also encouraged him to prioritize others before himself.

From Washington Post

Rising up from scooping bay, the steep topography—hemmed by hills of evergreens—promises panoramas at practically every turn.

From The Daily Beast

But just up the steep river bank and through the brush is an opening.

From The Daily Beast

In Sierra Leone, the WHO report reads, “steep increases persist.”

From The Daily Beast

Sure, some churches are expanding, but overall, your way of life is in steep decline.

From The Daily Beast

We gazed on a residential area of box-like homes stacked on top of one another on a steep hillside.

From The Daily Beast

My station was on the right of the line, where the breastwork, ending in a redoubt, was steep and high.

From Project Gutenberg

At the foot of the pass, the valley widened a little, though still with steep, snow-capped cliffs crowding it on either side.

From Project Gutenberg

The tower has four clock faces, pinnacles at the angles, and a steep slate roof and is 120 feet high.

From Project Gutenberg

On the state-coach went, down the steep, driving the mules madly before it.

From Project Gutenberg

The others kept on, climbed the short, steep bank, and passed from sight over its rim.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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