steep Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a steep place (as on a hill)
  2. verb devote (oneself) fully to
    plunge; immerse; absorb; soak up; engross; engulf.
    • He immersed himself into his studies
  3. verb let sit in a liquid to extract a flavor or to cleanse
    infuse.
    • steep the blossoms in oil
    • steep the fruit in alcohol
  4. adjective having a sharp inclination
    • the steep attic stairs
    • steep cliffs
  5. adjective satellite greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation
    extortionate; usurious; outrageous; exorbitant; unconscionable.
    • exorbitant rent
    • extortionate prices
    • spends an outrageous amount on entertainment
    • usurious interest rate
    • unconscionable spending
  6. adjective satellite of a slope; set at a high angle
    • note the steep incline
    • a steep roof sheds snow

WordNet

Steep adjective
Definitions
  1. Bright; glittering; fiery. Obs.
    His eyen steep, and rolling in his head. Chaucer.
Steep transitive verb
Etymology
OE. stepen, probably fr. Icel. steypa to cause to stoop, cast down, pour out, to cast metals, causative of st&umac;pa to stoop; cf. Sw. stöpa to cast, to steep, Dan. stöbe, D. & G. stippen to steep, to dip. Cf. Stoop, v. t.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Steeped present participle & verbal noun Steeping
Definitions
  1. To soak in a liquid; to macerate; to extract the essence of by soaking; as, to soften seed by steeping it in water. Often used figuratively.
    Let fancy still my sense in Lethe steep. Shak.
    In refreshing dew to steep The little, trembling flowers. Wordsworth.
    The learned of the nation were steeped in Latin. Earle.
Steep intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To undergo the process of soaking in a liquid; as, the tea is steeping. Colloq.
Steep noun
Definitions
  1. Something steeped, or used in steeping; a fertilizing liquid to hasten the germination of seeds.
  2. A rennet bag. Prov. Eng.
Steep adjective
Etymology
OE. steep, step, AS. steáp; akin to Icel. steypr steep, and st&umac;pa to stoop, Sw. stupa to fall, to tilt; cf. OFries. stap high. Cf. Stoop, v. i., Steep, v. t., Steeple.
Wordforms
comparative Steeper ; superlative Steepest
Definitions
  1. Making a large angle with the plane of the horizon; ascending or descending rapidly with respect to a horizontal line or a level; precipitous; as, a steep hill or mountain; a steep roof; a steep ascent; a steep declivity; a steep barometric gradient.
  2. Difficult of access; not easy reached; lofty; elevated; high. Obs. Chapman.
  3. Excessive; as, a steep price. Slang
Steep noun
Definitions
  1. A precipitous place, hill, mountain, rock, or ascent; any elevated object sloping with a large angle to the plane of the horizon; a precipice. Dryden.
    We had on each side naked rocks and mountains broken into a thousand irregular steeps and precipices. Addison.
    Bare steeps, where desolation stalks. Wordsworth.

Webster 1913