steamroller

noun, verb — 6 senses

steamroller

noun

US /ˈstimˌroʊlɚ/

Etymology From steam + roller.

1

Historical A steam-powered heavy road roller.

2

Broadly, Informal Any heavy road roller.

3

Figuratively Any seemingly irresistible force.

  • Well, I'm a steamroller, babe / I'm bound to roll all over you1970, James Taylor, “Steamroller Blues”:
  • England's last line-out in World Cup rugby had been stolen by New Zealand in a dramatic conclusion to the final three years ago, but the driving maul remains a potent weapon and flanker Sadia Kabeya was decisive as England fired up the steamroller once more.2025 August 22, Mike Henson, “England open World Cup with 11-try win over USA”, in BBC Sport:
4

Slang A pipe, used for smoking cannabis, open at both ends and having a bowl near one end.

  • 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.2005, Jane Smiley, John Kulka, Natalie Danford, editors, Best New American Voices 2006, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, →ISBN, page 242:
Derived terms
Russian steamroller

steamroller

verb

Etymology From steam + roller.

1

To level a road using a steamroller.

2

Figuratively To proceed ruthlessly against all opposition as if with an overwhelming force.

Related terms
steam power, steam engine, steam tractor, steam locomotive, steam shovel

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.

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