steep

¹ American  

[steep] / stip /

adjective

steeper, steepest

1. having an almost vertical slope or pitch, or a relatively high gradient, as a hill, an ascent, stairs, etc.

2. (of a price or amount) unduly high; exorbitant.

   Those prices are too steep for me.

3. extreme or incredible, as a statement or story.

4. high or lofty.

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noun

1. a steep place; declivity, as of a hill.

steep ² American  

[steep] / stip /

verb (used with object)

1. to soak in water or other liquid in order to soften, cleanse, extract flavor or a particular ingredient, etc..

   Pour boiling water over the mint leaves and steep them for 5 minutes.

   Tapa cloth is made by steeping the thin bark of the paper mulberry tree in water and then scraping and beating it to the desired texture.

   Synonyms:

   infuse

2. to wet thoroughly in or with a liquid; drench; saturate; imbue.

   She isn't the only one whose belongings have been steeped in dirty floodwater—many of her neighbors are experiencing the same.

   Synonyms:

   permeate

3. to immerse in a particular kind of experience or area of learning, fill or saturate with a particular quality, etc., over a long period.

   Steep your children in the values of honesty, kindness, dependability, and determination.

   Synonyms:

   infuse, imbue

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verb (used without object)

1. to sit soaking in water or other liquid for softening, cleansing, the extraction of a flavor or particular ingredient, etc..

   Your tea is steeping.

   Let the raisins steep for a few days, allowing their natural sweetness to infuse the alcohol.

noun

1. the act or process of steeping or the state of being steeped (often used attributively).

   For brewer’s malt, the steep takes a day or two, followed by germination and kilning.

   I was only giving my cold brew about eight hours of steep time instead of the recommended 16 to 18.

2. a liquid in which something is steeped.

   Remove the flax from the steep after five to seven days of soaking.

idioms

1. steeped in, immersed in a particular kind of experience or area of learning, filled or saturated with a particular quality, etc..

   Cities like Rome or Florence are steeped in tradition and history, yet still vibrate with the life of a modern city.

   As a former congressman and ambassador, he was steeped in diplomacy, and often consulted as a mediator.

steep ¹ British  

/ stiːp /

adjective

1. 1. having or being a slope or gradient approaching the perpendicular

   2. ( as noun )

      the steep

2. informal (of a fee, price, demand, etc) unduly high; unreasonable (esp in the phrase that's a bit steep )

3. informal excessively demanding or ambitious

   a steep task

4. informal (of a statement) extreme or far-fetched

5. obsolete elevated

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steep ² British  

/ stiːp /

verb

1. to soak or be soaked in a liquid in order to soften, cleanse, extract an element, etc

2. (tr; usually passive) to saturate; imbue

   steeped in ideology

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noun

1. an instance or the process of steeping or the condition of being steeped

2. a liquid or solution used for the purpose of steeping something

Other Word Forms

• steeper noun
• steeply adverb
• steepness noun
• unsteeped adjective

Etymology

Origin of steep¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English adjective step(e), steppe, Old English stēap “lofty, towering”; akin to stoop ¹

Origin of steep²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English verb stepen; further origin obscure; compare Old Icelandic steypa “to throw down, pour out,” Swedish stöpa “to cast”

Explanation

Steep means sharply angled. When hiking trails lead straight up mountainsides, they've got a steep incline. Steep also means "to soak in," as in steeping a tea bag in boiling water. You often hear steep used as an adjective to describe cliffs, hills, or even water park slides that have a perilous slope. Steep can apply to curves on a chart––you might say when someone who has a lot to learn that their learning curve is going to be steep. Steep also comes up to describe exorbitant changes in costs or spending. Everyone would love to travel more, but sometimes plane fare is too steep.

Example Sentences

When, by the mid-1980s, commercial hunting and the destruction of wetlands brought nine of 10 major North American duck species into steep decline, a 1985 farm bill helped reverse that.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

Parabolas are U-shaped, and not necessarily steep or upward opening.

From Barron's • May 1, 2026

The numbers mark a steep jump from the $2.3 billion and $3.8 billion, respectively, reported last year.

From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026

“The setup implies a steep increase in new business growth, which seems unlikely,” DiFucci wrote in a note last week.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 26, 2026

To get water from the stagnant reservoir, somebody had to climb down a steep eight-hundred-foot hillside, gathering their water in gourds or recycled plastic jugs.

From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French

Related Words

• bathe
• drench
• imbue
• immerse
• infuse
• ingrain
• marinate
• permeate
• saturate
• soak
• submerge
• suffuse