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Glite Dictionary
🚜 A heavy machine 💪 An unstoppable force 💪 To overpower 🚜 To flatten
to steamroller

to steamroller

5.2
To flatten a surface by passing a heavy roller over it
  • verb
  • /ˈstiːmˌroʊlər/
translation icon : apisonar
  • They used a steamroller to steamroll the surface of the parking lot before opening it.

Examples

  • To prepare the track for the race, they steamrolled the dirt to eliminate any bumps.

  • All just got steamrolled, paved over.

  • All just got steamrolled, paved over.

  • The workers steamrolled the asphalt to create a smooth, level road.

Synonyms

to flatten
vsto steamroller
23 2.6

Make something flat and smooth by pressing it

is performed specifically by passing a heavy rolling machine over it
to flatten out
vsto steamroller
5 3.4

To become flat and smooth after being uneven

is carried out using a heavy rolling machine rather than general smoothing
to steamroll
vsto steamroller
4.9

Make a surface flat using a heavy roller machine

has identical meaning but uses the alternative word form

Antonyms

to roughen
2 4.2

To make a surface not smooth so it feels bumpy

Compounds

Russian steamroller
  • Informal
8.7

A powerful, unstoppable force that crushes all resistance

How Smooth

to steamroller
5.2
to pave
61 2.8
to flatten
23 2.6

Surface Forms

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

Etymology

Steamroller comes from the machine name made of steam ('hot gas') plus roller ('a heavy wheel that rolls'), and at first it meant to use that machine to make the ground flat. So to steamroller a road is to level it by passing a heavy roller over it.