steamroll
Americanverb (used with or without object)
Etymology
Origin of steamroll
First recorded in 1910–15; by back formation
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The best teams tend to stack their nonconference schedule with two types of games: Opportunities for signature victories against other top contenders, along with schools they’re certain to steamroll.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 2, 2026
"If we don't then I fear that that we will die a slow death, because it will just steamroll over us," Tiller told AFP.
From Barron's • Feb. 21, 2026
Josh Adams was picked out by Dan Edwards' precise punt for Wales's solitary try five minutes after the restart, but, for the most part, the one-way traffic continued to steamroll the visitors.
From BBC • Feb. 7, 2026
“They want removals in numbers and whatever gets in their way, ‘How do we steamroll it?
From Slate • Aug. 7, 2025
“This could steamroll into something as unmanageable as Pacheco’s pig. Any fool can see that.”
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
