Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use steep in a sentence

40 example sentences · adjective, noun, verb

Steep means of a near-vertical gradient; of a slope, surface, curve, etc. that proceeds upward or downward at an angle approaching vertical. Example: “Twenty quid for a shave? That's a bit steep.”

Examples of steep by meaning

adjectiveOf a near-vertical gradient; of a slope, surface, curve, etc. that proceeds upward or downward at an angle approaching...

  • a steep hill or mountain; a steep roof; a steep ascent; a steep barometric gradient
  • Up these steep walkways cannelured for footpurchase, the free passage of roaches.1979, Cormac McCarthy, Suttree, Random House, page 21

adjectiveExpensive.

  • Twenty quid for a shave? That's a bit steep.

adjectiveResulting in a mast or windshield angle that strongly diverges from the perpendicular.

  • The steep rake of the windshield enhances the fast lines of the exterior.

verbTo soak or wet thoroughly.

  • They steep skins in a tanning solution to create leather.
  • The tea is steeping.
  • A Greek historian Phylarchus describes a white root indigenous to India that caused eunuchism when a person bathed in water in which the root was steeped.1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 123

verbTo imbue with something; to be deeply immersed in.

  • a town steeped in history

nounA liquid used in a steeping process.

  • Corn steep has many industrial uses.

More sentences with steep

  • Climbing up that steep ridge isn't on. We'll have to find another route.From the entry on
  • This steep and dangerous climb belongs to the most difficult category.From the entry category
  • To reach the building, we had to climb a steep incline.From the entry incline
  • He was out of breath from pedalling up the steep hill.From the entry pedal
  • They took the steep path that descends the hill down to the beach.From the entry descend
  • Critics of contemporary culture generally posit a steep decline in cultural literacy.From the entry cultural literacy
  • The heavy man laboriously climbed the steep mountain, pulling himself up inch by inch.From the entry laboriously
  • The slanting of the hill was too steep for safe skiing.From the entry slanting
  • The motor was untaxed by the steep hill because the vehicle was so lightly loaded.From the entry untaxed
  • The front load on these mutual funds is a steep five percent.From the entry front load
  • I had to wheel my bicycle up a steep hill.From the entry wheel
  • After that, the holiday went into a steep descent.From the entry descent
  • The road up to the house had a steep inclination.From the entry inclination
  • Start out in low gear when climbing a steep hill.From the entry low gear
  • A low gear is appropriate when climbing a steep hill.From the entry low gear
  • The road gets more and more steep.From the entry more and more
  • The steepest side of the mountain was regarded as unskiable.From the entry unskiable
  • Gilbralter's cannoned steep. — M. Arnold.From the entry cannoned
  • In practice, however, the financial barriers to entry are exceptionally steep.2026 July 22, Richard Wilcock, “Open Access: only possible for the giants?”, in RAIL, number 1066, page 23. From the entry unserious
  • The edge of the island is steep and formed by a narrow reef belt enclosing a lagoon.2021, Jinming Li, “Geographical overview of China's maritime boundaries in the South China Sea”, in Liao Jing, Fu Rongbao, transl.…. From the entry South Rock
  • On the north side of the gap there was a steep valley.2019 July 15, Philip Cracknell, Battle for Hong Kong, December 1941, Amberley Publishing Limited, →ISBN. From the entry Wong Nai Chung Gap
  • Flat and pedally, then steep and fast, then catch-a-pedal-rocky, it's great fun, if a little short.2014, Jon Barton, White Peak Mountain Biking: The Pure Trails, →ISBN, page 153. From the entry pedally
  • Then I met the one in the CNN building—steep, multi-storied, and chock-a-block full of people.2011, Katharine Miller, 30 Failures by Age 30, →ISBN. From the entry chock-a-block full
  • The latter roads run along steep mountainsides before dropping into Shihting (石碇; Shídìng).2011 March, Robert Kelly, Joshua Samuel Brown, “Northern Taiwan”, in Taiwan (Lonely Planet), 8th edition, →ISBN, →OCLC, →OL, page 119…. From the entry Shihting
  • It has densely populated urban areas, steep uplands dotted with tiny aboriginal villages and everything in between.2010, Steven Crook, Taiwan: The Bradt Travel Guide (Bradt Travel Guides), →ISBN, →OCLC, page 115. From the entry Xinbei
  • The waves are so steep, they crash so fast and furious I'm more under than up.2009, Doris Lessing, Briefing for a Descent Into Hell, page 30. From the entry under
  • The meal should be taken with milky "builder's tea" steeped strong in the mug.2008, William Morrow, Beef: The untold story of how milk, meat and muscle shaped the world, →ISBN, page 177. From the entry builder's tea
  • Their favorite activity was roof riding, climbing the house's many steep gables.2008, Elizabeth Hickey, The Wayward Muse: A Novel. From the entry roof riding
  • Steeped cucumber ratafia with Pimm's and Sprite is garnished with a squash blossom at T'afia in Houston.2007 August 29, Pete Wells, “Bottling the Bounty of the Season”, in New York Times. From the entry ratafia
  • Steeped cucumber ratafia with Pimm’s and Sprite is garnished with a squash blossom at T’afia in Houston.2007 August 29, Pete Wells, “Bottling the Bounty of the Season”, in The New York Times. From the entry Pimm's
  • Bo paused a step ahead of her on the steep cattle pad.2002, Alex Miller, Journey to the Stone Country, Allen & Unwin, published 2003, page 46. From the entry cattle pad

Meaning of steep

  1. adjective Of a near-vertical gradient; of a slope, surface, curve, etc. that proceeds upward or downward at an angle approaching vertical.
  2. adjective Expensive.
  3. adjective Difficult to access; not easy reached; lofty; elevated; high.

Full definition of steep

Questions about steep in a sentence

How do you use steep in a sentence?
Steep is used as an adjective, noun and verb. For example: “Twenty quid for a shave? That's a bit steep.”
What is a short sentence with steep?
“The tea is steeping.”
What does steep mean?
Steep means of a near-vertical gradient; of a slope, surface, curve, etc. that proceeds upward or downward at an angle approaching vertical.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: steep (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “How to use steep in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/steep. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.