cast-iron

1 of 2

adjective

1
: made of cast iron
2
: resembling cast iron: such as
a
: capable of withstanding great strain
a cast-iron stomach
b
: not admitting change, adaptation, or exception : rigid
a cast-iron will
c
British : not likely to fail or be broken : airtight
"Clever idea, Black, getting yourself seen on a safe station platform … gave you a cast-iron excuse not to leave your hidey-hole in future, didn't it?"J. K. Rowling

cast iron

2 of 2

noun

: a commercial alloy of iron, carbon, and silicon that is cast in a mold and is hard, brittle, nonmalleable, and incapable of being hammer-welded but more easily fusible than steel

Examples of cast-iron in a Sentence

Adjective lost weight only after a cast-iron adherence to his diet he has a cast-iron faith in his innate ability to overcome any adversity that life might throw against him Noun The fence is made of cast iron.
Recent Examples on the Web
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Adjective
Built in 1851, the Victorian-era mall is older than the state itself and is the oldest cast-iron market in the country. Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 22 Mar. 2025 The list of additional products affected by counter-tariffs includes tools, computers and servers, display monitors, water heaters, sport equipment, and cast-iron products. Rob Gillies, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2025
Noun
Keep scrolling to shop more of the best deals on Lodge cast iron cookware and accessories, then check out more discounts at Amazon's Big Spring Sale. Isabel Garcia, People.com, 26 Mar. 2025 He's also developed a neat sideline in collecting and restoring cast iron skillets, with videos of his efforts regularly posted to Instagram under the handle castiron_kyle and hosts the Full Slice Pod with two of his friends. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 21 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cast-iron

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1692, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1664, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cast-iron was in 1664

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Cite this Entry

“Cast-iron.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cast-iron. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

cast iron

noun
: a hard brittle alloy of iron, carbon, and silicon shaped by being poured into a mold while melted
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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