1
: a male bovine animal and especially a domestic ox (Bos taurus) castrated before sexual maturity compare stag sense 3
2
: an ox less than four years old
steered; steering; steers
1
: to control the course of : direct
especially
: to guide by mechanical means (such as a rudder)
2
: to set and hold to (a course)
1
: to direct the course (as of a ship or automobile)
2
: to pursue a course of action
3
: to be subject to steering
the car steers well
steerer
noun
steer
4 of 4dialectal British variant of stir
Synonyms
Examples of steer in a Sentence
Verb
She steered the ship through the strait.
He steered his car carefully into the parking space.
He steered the wheelchair through the aisles.
Skillful navigators can steer by the positions of the stars.
The car was steering right at us.
The boat steered out to sea.
He tried to steer the conversation away from his recent problems.
She skillfully steered the bill through the legislature.
He steered the team to another championship last year.
The high recent returns on stocks have steered many investors away from bonds.
Recent Examples on the Web
Passant Rabie / Gizmodo, Quartz, 13 May 2024
Getting ambitious with the accelerator also occasionally induced noticeable torque steer on uneven surfaces.
—Angus MacKenzie, Robb Report, 10 Apr. 2024
Eventually, the deputy concluded that José had been operating the skid steer, and the boy’s death was ruled an accident.
—Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, 29 Feb. 2024
Authorities learned that Michael’s last interaction with Rodney was when he was kicked out of the house at 17, and that even before Michael deserted the Marines, he was being investigated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) for stealing a skid steer, a small construction vehicle.
—Molly Langmuir, Rolling Stone, 2 Feb. 2024
Littlejohn can be seen galloping after the steer in the middle of the interstate and confidently spinning his rope above his head.
—Cathy Free, Washington Post, 6 June 2023
The deck party is divided into four quarters (a la football), with a cattle roping competition – using steer horns attached to hay bales – a race on stick horses, live music highlighting Texas artists and more.
—Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2024
His dad, Sid, was the PRCA steer wrestling world champion in 2002.
—Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 14 Jan. 2024
Blanchard said the steer will be raised for protein.
—Noah Alcala Bach, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Feb. 2024
Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 May 2024
Editors’ Picks In the most intimate cases, Christians are steering through agonizing, unfamiliar conflicts between their families and their God, or as some put it, between love and truth.
—Ruth Graham, New York Times, 17 May 2024
While timeshares have been a vacation option for decades (with some pretty great deals), many have steered clear of purchasing due to their reputation for strict contracts, costly fees, exhausting presentations, lack of flexibility, and aggressive sales pitches.
—Ronny Maye, Essence, 15 May 2024
Malone’s steered the Nuggets to four Game 7s since taking the job, and he’s won three of them — including two at the COVID-19 bubble during back-to-back series against the Jazz and Clippers in 2020.
—Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 13 May 2024
His speech largely steered clear of politics and instead focused on jokes about the students, artificial intelligence and privilege.
—CBS News, 12 May 2024
McAlmont, who went back to school in his forties for a PhD in higher education from the University of Pennsylvania, steers the conversation to author Patrick Lencioni’s five dysfunctions of a team.
—Bynick Rockel, Fortune, 10 May 2024
President Joe Biden, on the other hand, has steered the country’s education system more through federal action and investment in public schools.
—Laura Gersony, The Arizona Republic, 10 May 2024
But Carell steers clear of anything resembling a star turn, preferring instead to be a witness to these theatrical proceedings until the crucial showdown with Alexander, whose titanic self-absorption Molina captures to perfection.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024
Noun
Farmers in South Dakota reported having issues with their equipment and that the GPS system would show their tractors going in circles or the auto steer wasn’t working, local news outlets reported.
—Passant Rabie / Gizmodo, Quartz, 13 May 2024
Getting ambitious with the accelerator also occasionally induced noticeable torque steer on uneven surfaces.
—Angus MacKenzie, Robb Report, 10 Apr. 2024
Eventually, the deputy concluded that José had been operating the skid steer, and the boy’s death was ruled an accident.
—Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, 29 Feb. 2024
Authorities learned that Michael’s last interaction with Rodney was when he was kicked out of the house at 17, and that even before Michael deserted the Marines, he was being investigated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) for stealing a skid steer, a small construction vehicle.
—Molly Langmuir, Rolling Stone, 2 Feb. 2024
Littlejohn can be seen galloping after the steer in the middle of the interstate and confidently spinning his rope above his head.
—Cathy Free, Washington Post, 6 June 2023
The deck party is divided into four quarters (a la football), with a cattle roping competition – using steer horns attached to hay bales – a race on stick horses, live music highlighting Texas artists and more.
—Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 6 Mar. 2024
His dad, Sid, was the PRCA steer wrestling world champion in 2002.
—Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 14 Jan. 2024
Blanchard said the steer will be raised for protein.
—Noah Alcala Bach, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Feb. 2024
Verb
Winds out of the west-northwest will steer moisture ashore, creating clouds that will flow all the way to inland valleys and foothills.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 May 2024
Editors’ Picks In the most intimate cases, Christians are steering through agonizing, unfamiliar conflicts between their families and their God, or as some put it, between love and truth.
—Ruth Graham, New York Times, 17 May 2024
While timeshares have been a vacation option for decades (with some pretty great deals), many have steered clear of purchasing due to their reputation for strict contracts, costly fees, exhausting presentations, lack of flexibility, and aggressive sales pitches.
—Ronny Maye, Essence, 15 May 2024
Malone’s steered the Nuggets to four Game 7s since taking the job, and he’s won three of them — including two at the COVID-19 bubble during back-to-back series against the Jazz and Clippers in 2020.
—Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 13 May 2024
His speech largely steered clear of politics and instead focused on jokes about the students, artificial intelligence and privilege.
—CBS News, 12 May 2024
McAlmont, who went back to school in his forties for a PhD in higher education from the University of Pennsylvania, steers the conversation to author Patrick Lencioni’s five dysfunctions of a team.
—Bynick Rockel, Fortune, 10 May 2024
President Joe Biden, on the other hand, has steered the country’s education system more through federal action and investment in public schools.
—Laura Gersony, The Arizona Republic, 10 May 2024
But Carell steers clear of anything resembling a star turn, preferring instead to be a witness to these theatrical proceedings until the crucial showdown with Alexander, whose titanic self-absorption Molina captures to perfection.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'steer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near steer
Cite this Entry
“Steer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/steer. Accessed 22 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
steer
1 of 2 noun1
: a male domestic ox castrated before sexual maturity and especially one raised for beef
2
: an ox less than four years old
steer
2 of 2 verb1
: to direct the course or the course of : guide
steer by the stars
steer a boat
steer a conversation
2
: to follow a course of action
3
: to be guided
an automobile that steers well
steerer
noun
ˈstir-ər
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