Wiktionary

steamroller

See also: steam roller

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From steam +‎ roller.

Pronunciation

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  • Audio (US):(file)

Noun

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steamroller (plural steamrollers)

  1. (historical) A steam-powered heavy road roller.
  2. (by extension, informal) Any heavy road roller.
  3. (figurative) Any seemingly irresistible force.
    • 1970, James Taylor (lyrics and music), “Steamroller Blues”:
      Well, I'm a steamroller, babe / I'm bound to roll all over you
  4. (slang) A pipe, used for smoking cannabis, open at both ends and having a bowl near one end.
    • 2005, Jane Smiley, John Kulka, Natalie Danford, editors, Best New American Voices 2006, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, →ISBN, page 242:
      It's more about him testing his wares. He rolls joints. He doesn't own a bong, hookah, smoking pipe, chillum, vaporizer, scale, dugout system, grinder, or steamroller.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Verb

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steamroller (third-person singular simple present steamrollers, present participle steamrollering, simple past and past participle steamrollered)

  1. (transitive) To level a road using a steamroller.
    Synonym: steamroll
  2. (transitive, figurative) To proceed ruthlessly against all opposition as if with an overwhelming force.
    Synonyms: overpower, steamroll

Translations

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See also

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Further reading

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Anagrams

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