From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsteelsteel1 /stiːl/ ●●○ S3 W3 noun 1 [uncountable]HCM strong metal that can be shaped easily, consisting of iron and carbon a steel bridge stainless steel (=steel that does not change colour) knives2 [uncountable]TI the industry that makes steel Sheffield is a major steel town.3 → nerves of steel4 [countable]D a thin bar of steel used for making knives sharp
Examples from the Corpus
steel• When people do read longer works, they primarily favor high-drama novels that get a steel grip on their attention.• Edelstein challenges any preconceptions one might have of what a New Jersey steel dispatcher should look like.• In the west, shipbuilding was done at Barrow-in-Furness, again using local steel.• Plate steel is used in the construction and machinery markets.• The best type of lock to use is one made from a loop of solid steel.• According to Gardner, she has the steel to succeed.• Two other bodies are still in the ship, lodged in twisted steel.• The concrete is reinforced with steel.stainless steel• As soon as I get up, I light the fire and put on a stainless steel pot for hot water.• Mobile stainless steel racks are treated as stainless steel worktops.• The M asteroids are about 99 percent metal with the composition of a natural stainless steel.• The Lanes' vat has had to be fitted with a new stainless steel liner.• Before the days of stainless steel, large houses used a knife-cleaning machine.• For Edward, the stainless steel containers, and the job, took on a deeper significance.• They also say the 25-ton stainless steel casks used at some plants to stored cooled material above ground are too expensive.steelsteel2 verb [transitive] → steel yourself→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
steel• Ruth steeled every nerve-ending in her body.• She had been expecting changes and had steeled herself not to resent them.• I meowed a couple of times and steeled myself as she came over.• Only then would ministers steel themselves to introduce the unpleasant but indispensable reform measures.Origin steel1 Old English style, stele 