steer
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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to guide the course of (something in motion) by a rudder, helm, wheel, etc..
to steer a bicycle.
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to follow or pursue (a particular course).
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to direct the course of; guide.
I can steer you to the best restaurant in town.
verb (used without object)
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to direct the course of a vessel, vehicle, airplane, or the like, by the use of a rudder or other means.
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to pursue a course of action.
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(of a vessel, vehicle, airplane, etc.) to be steered or guided in a particular direction or manner.
noun
idioms
noun
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steers,
plural
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steer
plural
verb (used with or without object)
verb
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to direct the course of (a vehicle or vessel) with a steering wheel, rudder, etc
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(tr) to guide with tuition
his teachers steered him through his exams
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(tr) to direct the movements or course of (a person, conversation, etc)
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to pursue (a specified course)
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(intr) (of a vessel, vehicle, etc) to admit of being guided in a specified fashion
this boat does not steer properly
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to keep away from; shun
noun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of steer1
First recorded before 900; Middle English steren, stere, stieren, Old English stēoran, stēran, stíoran, stýran, akin to stēor, stýr “steering, guidance”; cognate with German steuern, Old Norse stȳra, Gothic stiurjan
Origin of steer2
First recorded before 900; Middle English ster(e), Old English stēor “young bull or ox,” cognate with Dutch, German Stier, Old Norse stjōrr, Gothic stiur
Explanation
In defining steer, I would steer clear of complicated examples and just say: to steer is to control which direction one is going. Everyone who owns a car has learned to point his car in the right direction using the steering wheel. It's a bad idea to let your five year-old steer; you might end up in a sandbox. But the use of steer doesn't need to be limited to wheels and handle bars. If you have a friend torn between whether or not to go to college, you can help steer her towards the right decision. The President's job is "to steer the Ship of State."
Vocabulary lists containing steer
Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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David Cameron's Words After the Brexit Vote
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"Modern Automotive Technology," Vocabulary from Section 10
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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:
Cameras mounted on their wrists and heads gather video footage, which is first used by off-site teleoperators to steer the robots, and later by Tau to train more advanced AI models.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
Evans’ attempts to steer the documentary itself begin even before Holmes reports to prison.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Working as a post-match interviewer for US broadcaster CBS, legendary former United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel tried to steer Martinez away from discussion about his old club's summer transfer window on four occasions.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
Producer-price data for September will be released a day later on Thursday and will give a steer on how much pipeline inflationary pressures are increasing given recent sharp rises in energy prices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
“See? Boo thinks so, too. And he’d never lie! He’s, like, our sworn guardian and all that. He wouldn’t try to steer you wrong.”
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
He steers clear of healthcare providers or nursing homes catering to aging populations — “basically a fast-maturing and bad hedge to inflation” that won’t easily pass on rising costs to those residents.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
Some researchers have even argued for a “Halloween indicator,” which steers clear of stocks until after Oct.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
"The system's better, you get clearer decisions, better steers when you need them," says a minister.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
Lucas Dvorak, 22, uses AI all the time but steers clear of it when he texts his girlfriend.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
But Stuart steers me toward the door, practically pushes me outside.
From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett
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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.
