pedal steel
noun
variants
or pedal steel guitar
plural pedal steels or pedal steel guitars
: a box-shaped electric steel guitar with legs that has usually 10 strings which can be altered in pitch by the use of pedals and which are plucked while being pressed with a movable steel bar
[Ben] Keith broke into the business playing pedal steel on Patsy Cline's "I Fall to Pieces" …—
Kevin Dettmar
compare hawaiian guitar, lap steel
Kevin DettmarExamples of pedal steel in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There’s a sense of transcendence running through fABLE, with most songs resolving in a major key, carried by propulsive percussion and a whole lot of pedal steel.
—Leah Lu, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2025
The song begins as a classic melancholy country pop waltz, complete with pedal steel, though a glimmering synth underneath betrays that this isn’t your average Patsy Cline song.
—James Factora, Them., 3 Apr. 2025
Karly and Wednesday pedal steel player Xandy Chelmis worked at the nearby club The Mothlight, so the owners allowed the band to rehearse there while it was shuttered and later introduced them to the owners of local studio Drop of Sun, where everyone started recording.
—Michael Tedder, SPIN, 18 Feb. 2025
Named after the address of Gibson’s childhood home in Castlewood, Virginia (population: 2,045), 49 Winchester came about when Gibson and his childhood cronies — bassist Chase Chafin, guitarist Bus Shelton, and Noah Patrick on pedal steel — began jamming on the front porch.
—Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for pedal steel
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Leah Lu, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2025
The song begins as a classic melancholy country pop waltz, complete with pedal steel, though a glimmering synth underneath betrays that this isn’t your average Patsy Cline song.
—James Factora, Them., 3 Apr. 2025
Karly and Wednesday pedal steel player Xandy Chelmis worked at the nearby club The Mothlight, so the owners allowed the band to rehearse there while it was shuttered and later introduced them to the owners of local studio Drop of Sun, where everyone started recording.
—Michael Tedder, SPIN, 18 Feb. 2025
Named after the address of Gibson’s childhood home in Castlewood, Virginia (population: 2,045), 49 Winchester came about when Gibson and his childhood cronies — bassist Chase Chafin, guitarist Bus Shelton, and Noah Patrick on pedal steel — began jamming on the front porch.
—Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for pedal steel
Cite this Entry
“Pedal steel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pedal%20steel. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share