[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/steep.html)

[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / steep

[← S](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/S/)

# steep

«steep» in Mova's school dictionary: **Rising or falling sharply, like a slope that is hard to…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

adjective (steep, steeper, steepest); verb (steep, steeps, steeped, steeping)

### meaning for a pupil

1) Rising or falling sharply, like a slope that is hard to climb. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/steep/#m1)

2) A price that is much too high: "That's a bit steep!" [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/steep/#m2)

3) A big change: "a steep rise in prices". [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/steep/#m3)

4) As a verb, to soak something in liquid, like tea leaves in hot water. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/steep/#m4)

### sense in the lessons

In science and geography, steep hills and slopes make things roll faster and are harder to climb; ramps can be steep or gentle. In maths graphs, a steep line shows something changing quickly. In safety, steep paths, cliffs and stairs need care and holding on. Phrases: steep hill, steep slope, steep stairs, steep climb, steep price.

### examples

- The hill was too steep to ride up. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/steep/#x1)
- Walk carefully down the steep path. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/steep/#x2)
- A steeper ramp makes the ball roll faster. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/steep/#x3)
- On the graph, the line gets steep when the temperature rises fast. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/steep/#x4)
- Ten dollars for a drink is a bit steep! [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/steep/#x5)
- Steep the tea for three minutes. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/steep/#x6)
- Then they knocked at the door, which opened straight on to a steep staircase. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/steep/#x7)

### note

Comparatives: steeper, steepest. The opposite is "gentle" or "shallow". In maths, a steeper line on a graph means a bigger change for each step along. Safety: stay away from steep edges and cliffs, and hold handrails on steep stairs.

### In the corpora

- [In a steep dive a peregrine falcon can go over 300 kilometres an hour, the fastest of any animal.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/324-falcons-hawks-kites-ospreys-and-vultures/9/)
- [You walk a scooter down a steep hill, because you can lose control.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/272-bikes-scooters-and-car-parks/12/)
- [Contour lines join points of equal height above sea level, and lines drawn close together mean the ground is steep.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/geography/1-maps-and-scale/9/)
- [High up, the river is fast and steep and cuts down into the land, making a deep V-shaped valley.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/geography/53-rivers-shaping-the-land/2/)
- [Near the source, a river cuts down into the land, making steep V-shaped valleys.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/geography/53-rivers-shaping-the-land/9/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «steep» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/steep/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.