steer
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To guide the course of a vessel, vehicle, aircraft etc..
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
stirIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈstɪɹ
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.
verb
intransitive
To guide the course of a vessel, vehicle, aircraft etc. (by means of a device such as a rudder, paddle, or steering wheel).
Direct the course; determine the direction of travelling
intransitive
To be directed and governed; to take a direction, or course; to obey the helm.
transitive
To maneuver or manipulate a person or group into a place or course of action.
Direct (oneself) somewhere
transitive
To direct a conversation.
noun
Castrated bull
The castrated male of cattle, especially one raised for beef production.
informal
A suggestion about a course of action.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To guide the course of a vessel, vehicle, aircraft etc. (by means of a device such as a rudder, paddle, or steering wheel).
Used this way, steer is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a nautical use: it is standard at sea and largely unfamiliar ashore.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Sailing/maritime
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use steer
- “The teacher steered the gifted students towards the more challenging courses.”verb
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.
Similar Words, What’s the Difference?
Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
The act of guiding or showing the way.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A committee to arrange the order of business for some larger (legislative) body.
A gear that couples the steering wheel to the steering linkage of a motor vehicle.
Mechanism consisting of a system of rods and levers connected to the front wheels of a motor vehicle.
A mechanism by which something is steered (especially a motor vehicle).
A mechanism by which something is steered (especially a motor vehicle).
A handwheel that is used for steering.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “steer” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
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.