a steam-powered vehicle with heavy rollers at the front and rear used for compressing road surfaces during road-making
b. another word for roadroller
2.
a.
an overpowering force or a person with such force that overcomes all opposition
b.
(as modifier)
steamroller tactics
verb also: steamroll
3. (transitive)
to crush (opposition, etc) by overpowering force
steamroll in American English
(ˈstimˌroul)
transitive verb or intransitive verb
steamroller
Word origin
[1910–15; by back formation]This word is first recorded in the period 1910–15. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: carbon cycle, flashback, homeroom, isotope, payoff
Examples of 'steamroll' in a sentence
steamroll
The theory will steamroll over subtle distinctions between candour and honesty, tact and politeness, reticence and stonewalling.