steam·roll·er
ˈstēm-ˌrō-lər 
1
: a steam-driven road roller
broadly
: road roller
2
: a crushing force especially when ruthlessly applied to overcome opposition
steam·roll·er
ˈstēm-ˌrō-lər
variants
or steamroll
steamrollered or steamrolled; steamrollering or steamrolling; steamrollers or steamrolls
1
: to overwhelm usually by greatly superior force
steamroller the opposition
2
: to bring or advance by overwhelming force or pressure
steamrollered the bill through the legislature
: to move or proceed with irresistible force
Examples of steamroller in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Dawn Mitchell, The Indianapolis Star, 22 May 2024
As a social-climbing hustler trying to gain access to an exclusive country club, Kristen Wiig plays Palm Royale’s Maxine like a steamroller.
—Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 25 Mar. 2024
David Hambling, Forbes, 6 Sep. 2024
She’s been hip-checked, hammered, steamrollered and smothered.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for steamroller 
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.
Noun
Once the steamrollers evened out the crushed limestone track, a final coat of a coal tar binding agent was applied and the track was ready for racing.
—Dawn Mitchell, The Indianapolis Star, 22 May 2024
As a social-climbing hustler trying to gain access to an exclusive country club, Kristen Wiig plays Palm Royale’s Maxine like a steamroller.
—Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 25 Mar. 2024
Verb
By producing at scale with close vertical integration with component makers, DJI have succeeded in building highly capable, good quality drones that few competitors can match, steamrollering the U.S. consumer drone industry in the process.
—David Hambling, Forbes, 6 Sep. 2024
She’s been hip-checked, hammered, steamrollered and smothered.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for steamroller
Dictionary Entries Near steamroller
Cite this Entry
“Steamroller.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/steamroller. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share