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Glite Dictionary
💪 To overpower 🚜 To flatten
to steamroll

to steamroll

8 6.5
Push a plan or idea through by ignoring other people's views
  • verb
  • /ˈstiːmroʊl/
translation icon : imponer
  • She steamrolled her way to the top of the competition, ignoring the doubts of her peers.
  • prevent him from steamrolling
  • try to steamroll
  • let him steamroll

But dude, there's like a lot of trauma that we're just steamrolling past.

Examples

  • Five unanswered goals, and the Rangers are steamrolling.

    Mystery, Alaska (1999)

  • Ignorance in this area is no legal defense, and they will steamroll you anyway.

    Blog text (24)

  • You trying to steamroll us, kid?

    Lucky You (2007)

  • She'd let him steamroll her with Doctor Knows Best.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Jennifer, on the other hand, would steamroll over them with her energy and conviction.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • You can't steamroll me out of here with all this going on.

    The Wolf of Snow Hollow (2020)

  • You're letting these guys steamroll you.

    The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)

  • Trainees are anxious to get off the phone... they steamroll the guy into getting the press packet so they can hang up.

    Boiler Room (2000)

  • They just blow into town and start steamrolling over small businesses.

    Almost Christmas (2016)

  • A famous, overbearing, or just plain obnoxious author can steamroll over editors and reviewers.

    Academic text (1995)

Synonyms

to overwhelm
vsto steamroll
42 4.0

Defeat someone or something completely using greater force

focuses more on applying pressure and persistence to get results
to thrust
vsto steamroll
41 6.7

To force something on someone, often against their will

focuses on applying heavy pressure to win despite any resistance
to steamroll through
vsto steamroll
  • Informal
1 7.7

To get through something easily by pushing past people who are against you

uses pressure to achieve aims while ignoring or crushing resistance
to steamroller
vsto steamroll
  • Informal
1 7.4

To push a plan through while ignoring others' objections

uses overwhelming force specifically to push goals through despite opposition
to bull through
vsto steamroll
  • Informal
1 8.1

To push something through when others strongly oppose it

is more about steady insistence rather than overwhelming physical force

Phrasal Verbs

to steamroll through
  • Informal
1 7.7

To get through something easily by pushing past people who are against you

to steamroll the discussion
  • Informal
8.7

To take control of a discussion and ignore other people's ideas

How Forceful

to overrun
20 7.0
to steamroll
8 6.5
to bulldoze
29 4.2
to pressure
149 4.2
to push
731 1.5

Surface Forms

steamroll infinitive
steamrolled past
steamrolled past participle
steamrolling present participle
steamrolls third person singular

Morphology

steamroll = steamroller (semi-transparent) = steam + roll

The verb is formed from the noun 'steamroller' (the action associated with the machine is the source), though the sense is often used metaphorically.

Etymology

Steamroll comes from the heavy road machine steamroller, which used steam power and a big roller to flatten everything in its path, so picture a giant machine pushing down obstacles. That's why to steamroll someone means to push an idea through or ignore opposition as if you are flattening it.