steep

Something that is steep is difficult to climb up or down. Roads, mountains, and hills are some things that are steep.

• Goats know how to climb up and down things that are steep. This goat is climbing down a steep rock.
• Can your car climb steep hills?
• My car can go up very steep hills if I put it into a lower gear.
• Ladders can be dangerous because the climb up is steep.
• Mountains are difficult to climb because they are so steep.

• He’s climbing a steep mountain.

The word "steep" can also be used to describe a difficult situation that is challenging:

• There’s a steep learning curve to this computer program. (It’s difficult to learn how to use.)
• Bob faced some steep challenges after he became paralyzed in a car accident.

One more thing. When tea sits in hot water and releases its flavor, we use the word "steep." In this case, the words "sit" and "soak" are also used.

• You make tea by steeping the leaves in hot water and then removing them when it’s ready to drink.
• The longer you steep the leaves, the stronger the tea becomes.
• For how long should I Iet this tea steep? (How long should the tea leaves sit/soak in the water?)

To practice your pronunciation of the "st" sound, click here.

Click here to learn more words.

This page was published on April 29, 2014.