I. steep 1 S3 /stiːp/ BrE AmE adjective ( comparative steeper , superlative steepest )
[ Word Family: verb : ↑ steep , ↑ steepen ; noun : ↑ steepness ; adverb : ↑ steeply ; adjective : ↑ steep ]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: steap 'high, steep, deep' ]
1 . a road, hill etc that is steep slopes at a high angle:
The road became rocky and steep.
a steep climb to the top
2 . steep prices, charges etc are unusually expensive OPP low :
steep rents
3 . involving a big increase or decrease SYN sharp :
steep cuts in benefits
steep increase/rise
a steep increase in house prices
steep decrease/drop
a steep drop in orders
—steeply adverb
—steepness noun [uncountable]
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ nouns
▪ a steep hill
The car careered down the steep hill.
▪ a steep slope
Coffee was grown on the steep slopes.
▪ a steep bank
He scrambled down the steep bank.
▪ a steep path/road
She stood at the top of the steep path leading down to the beach.
▪ steep stairs
Martha led the way up the very steep stairs.
▪ the steep sides of something
The steep sides of the valley were clothed in dense green forest.
▪ a steep gradient formal (=a steep slope – used especially when talking about how steep something is)
The Snowdon Mountain Railway has the steepest gradient of any locomotive track in Britain.
▪ a steep climb
A steep climb brought us to a wide rocky plateau.
▪ a steep descent (=a steep journey, slope, or path downwards)
the steep descent into the beautiful Farndale Valley
II. steep 2 BrE AmE verb [intransitive and transitive]
[ Word Family: verb : ↑ steep , ↑ steepen ; noun : ↑ steepness ; adverb : ↑ steeply ; adjective : ↑ steep ]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Origin: From an unrecorded Old English stiepan ]
1 . be steeped in history/tradition/politics etc to have a lot of a particular quality:
a town steeped in history
2 . to put food in a liquid and leave it there, so that it becomes soft or has the same taste as the liquid, or so that it gives the liquid its taste:
Leave the tea bag to steep.