iron
noun · adjective · verb
Simple meaning
A common, inexpensive metal, silvery grey when untarnished, that rusts, is attracted by magnets.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
eyeernSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈaɪɚn
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
Home appliance consisting of a flat metal base that is heated and used to smooth cloth
countable
A tool or appliance made of metal, which is heated and then used to transfer heat to something else; most often a thick piece of metal fitted with a handle and having a flat, roughly triangular bottom, which is heated and used to press wrinkles from clothing, and now usually containing an electrical heating apparatus.
uncountable
A common, inexpensive metal, silvery grey when untarnished, that rusts, is attracted by magnets, and is used in making steel: a chemical element having atomic number 26 and symbol Fe.
Any of several other tools traditionally made of wrought iron, now usually of steel.
uncountablefigurative
Used as a symbol of great strength or toughness, or to signify a very strong or tough material.
uncountablecountablemetallurgy
Any material, not a steel, predominantly made of elemental iron.
adjective
figuratively
Strong (as of will), inflexible.
Of or pertaining to the Iron people.
verb
transitive
To pass an iron over (clothing or some other item made of cloth) in order to remove creases.
intransitive
To engage in such pressing of clothing.
transitive
To furnish, clad, or arm with iron.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Home appliance consisting of a flat metal base that is heated and used to smooth cloth
Used this way, iron is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- chain , a specialist term, precise but narrower
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Metal shackles.
Garments (clothes or linens) that are to be (or have been) ironed.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
Witty language used to convey insults or scorn.
Contrary to plan or expectation.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
The color of freshly broken cast iron.
An instrument of torture that is used to heat or crush the foot and leg.
An early term for a locomotive.
British stateswoman.
Respirator that produces alternations in air pressure in a chamber surrounding a patient's chest to force air into and out of the lungs thus providing artificial respiration.
Instrument of torture consisting of a hollow iron frame shaped like the human body and lined with spikes to impale the victim.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.