steer
verb /stɪə(r)/
/stɪr/
Verb Forms
Idioms | present simple I / you / we / they steer | /stɪə(r)/ /stɪr/ |
| he / she / it steers | /stɪəz/ /stɪrz/ |
| past simple steered | /stɪəd/ /stɪrd/ |
| past participle steered | /stɪəd/ /stɪrd/ |
| -ing form steering | /ˈstɪərɪŋ/ /ˈstɪrɪŋ/ |
- [transitive, intransitive] steer (something/somebody) (+ adv./prep.) to control the direction in which a boat, car, etc. moves
- He steered the boat into the harbour.
- (figurative) He took her arm and steered her towards the door.
- You row and I'll steer.
Extra ExamplesTopics Transport by waterc1, Transport by car or lorryc1, Sports: water sportsc1- He told the pilot to steer due north.
- Johnson managed to steer the plane away from the town and crash-land in a nearby field.
- Pilots need to learn to steer on the ground as well as in the air.
- The boat was being steered by an elderly man.
- The captain steered the boat into the narrow harbour.
- [transitive, intransitive] steer (something) (+ adv./prep.) (of a boat, car, etc.) to move in a particular direction
- The ship steered a course between the islands.
- The ship steered into port.
Extra Examples- The ship steered into the harbour.
- The car steered off the cliff.
- The canoe steered north for two thousand miles.
- [transitive] steer something + adv./prep. to take control of a situation and influence the way in which it develops
- He managed to steer the conversation away from his divorce.
- She steered the team to victory.
- The skill is in steering a middle course between the two extremes.
- Schools no longer steer girls towards arts subjects.
Word Originverb Old English stīeran, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch sturen and German steuern.
Idioms
keep/stay/steer clear (of somebody/something)
- to avoid a person or thing because they may cause problems
- Steer clear of the centre of town at this time of the evening.