steak

American  

[steyk] / steɪk /

noun

steaks plural

1. a typically thick slice of meat, especially beef, or a thick slice of firm, hearty fish, cooked by broiling, pan-frying, etc.: salmon steaks.

   a sirloin steak;

   salmon steaks.

2. ground or chopped meat prepared in the same manner as a steak.

3. a thick slice of a hearty vegetable or other meaty food: tofu steaks.

   eggplant steaks;

   tofu steaks.

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steak British  

/ steɪk /

noun

1. See beefsteak

2. any of various cuts of beef of varying quality, used for braising, stewing, etc

3. a thick slice of pork, veal, etc, or of a large fish, esp cod or salmon

4. minced meat prepared in the same way as steak

   hamburger steak

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• steaks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of steak

1400–50; late Middle English steike < Old Norse steik meat roasted on a stick

Explanation

If you order steak at a restaurant, you'll probably be served a thick piece of cooked meat. Although most people use the noun steak to mean a slice of grilled or broiled beef, it can be used to talk about any kind of meat or fish. Many people like to cook tuna steaks on the grill or order a medium-rare T-bone steak at a restaurant. Since the fifteenth century, steak has meant "thick slice of meat," from the Old Norse root word steik, "roast meat."

Example Sentences

Cheryl Hines, Kennedy’s wife, said last year that Kennedy wakes up at 6:30 every morning to cook steak and eat sauerkraut.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 18, 2026

Always read the fine print — and bring a doggie bag for your steak.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 12, 2026

Standouts from our meal included the flank steak, pork belly, lamb chops and the restaurant’s honey-drizzled grilled cheese.

From Salon • Jun. 11, 2026

So I think it is quite unlikely, just by consuming steak or consuming beef, that anything bad is going to happen to you.

From Slate • Jun. 11, 2026

“I most certainly did not know that,” Grandpa Park said, stabbing at a piece of steak with his knife.

From Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff