as in swords
a hand weapon with a length of metal sharpened on one or both sides and usually tapered to a sharp point
drew steel on the bandits, who immediately fled for their lives
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1
as in inspires
to fill with courage or strength of purpose
hoped that his inspirational talk would steel the youths in the pursuit of their dreams
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2
as in strengthens
to make able to withstand physical hardship, strain, or exposure
years of running a farm had steeled the hard-bitten woman
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3
as in braces
to prepare (oneself) mentally or emotionally
he had spent the previous night steeling himself for the moment when he would demand a raise
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of steels
Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 12 Dec. 2025
For example, stainless steel has the addition of chromium to add rust resistance, while alloy steels might add nickel, copper, or aluminum to serve as construction material.
—Jesse Raub, Bon Appetit Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Nickel is primarily used to make stainless steel and other alloy steels, as well as batteries.
—Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2025
Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2025
Advertisement While Gaal steels herself, the force that’s stalked her visions finally arrives, stepping into view with the certainty of someone who’s already seen the ending.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
Noun
These findings, published in Corrosion Science, suggest that while current alloys fail under these conditions, a new class of steels can withstand temperatures up to 800°C (1472°F)—far exceeding typical reactor operating conditions.
—Verb
In the play’s forthright, direct-to-the-audience expression of political necessity, Susannah Flood is the piece’s avatar of Wohl, but the show’s true essence is embodied by Betsy Aidem, playing a tightly wound housewife, who steels the younger women around her to face the struggle to come.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for steels
Noun
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The Tofinu took refuge in the lagoons along the Bight of Benin, a core area of the slave trade, venturing forth in canoes with harpoons, javelins, and swords to fight off raiders from powerful nearby kingdoms.—
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Flaming swords or not, Boise’s newest steakhouse on the block clearly wants impressed diners who view El Gaucho as fine-dining fire.—
Verb
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SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe.—
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The sales pitch rhetoric inspires few.—
Verb
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Buonanotte now strengthens United’s options in the final third and allows Farke to pivot from his five-man defence where necessary.—
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Published on Wednesday in Nature and derived from deeper, more time-consuming JWST observations of a dozen LRDs that split their light into its constituent colors, or spectra, a new study strengthens the case that these objects are, in fact, gigantic, growing black holes.—
Verb
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The Texas Education Agency will meet with the Lake Worth community Wednesday as the school district braces for a state takeover.—
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In October 2024, at 17, Yamal celebrated scoring against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu by showing off his customised blaugrana braces.—
Verb
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Pruning perennials at the right time encourages plants to leaf out, grow bushier, develop sturdier stems, and potentially produce more flowers.—
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Loudermilk says this is just one of the many ways Lions Clubs work to support their communities and encourages anyone interested in joining to reach out.—
Verb
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Then the storm moves on, the sun returns, and the surface hardens again, cracked and chalky, as if the place is trying to erase the evidence that water ever touched it.—
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But her attitude toward them eventually hardens.—
Verb
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That night, Pam fortifies herself with a few drinks and answers when the phone rings.—
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The Supreme Court’s 6-3 conservative majority regularly fortifies religious rights, but the justices have also been wary of expanding government officials’ exposure to damages in their individual capacities.—
Cite this Entry
“Steels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/steels. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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