steer

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   direct oneself somewhere

   I steered myself into the grocery store to buy sandwich making supplies.

2. 2
   verb

   be a guiding or motivating force or drive

   The teacher steered the gifted students towards the more challenging courses

3. 3
   verb

   To guide the course of a vessel, vehicle, aircraft etc. (by means of a device such as a rudder, paddle, or steering wheel).

   The boat steered towards the iceberg.

4. 4
   verb

   To be directed and governed; to take a direction, or course; to obey the helm.

   The boat steers easily.

5. 5
   verb

   To maneuver or manipulate a person or group into a place or course of action.

   Hume believes that principles of association steer the imagination of artists.

6. 6
   verb

   To direct or send an object into a specific place

   Sterling, who scored the winners against Croatia and the Czech Republic in the group stage, steered in Luke Shaw's cross after 75 minutes to send England's fans, with more than 40,000 inside Wembley, into wild celebrations.

7. 7
   noun

   A suggestion about a course of action.

   I tried to give you the steer, but I guess I didn't get it over. Everybody knew it but you.

8. 8
   noun

   The castrated male of cattle, especially one raised for beef production.

   He counted the cattle over and over. It diverted him to speculate as to how much weight each of the steers would probably put on by spring.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English steeren, steren, stiren, sturen, steoren, from Old English stēoran, stīeran, stȳran (“to steer; guide a vessel”), from Proto-West Germanic *stiurijan (“to steer”), from Proto-Germanic *stiurijaną (“to steer”). The noun is from Middle English steere, stere (“rudder”), steor, from Old English stēor, stȳr (“steering; guidance; direction”). Compare Dutch stuur, German Steuer, Icelandic stýri.