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Glite Dictionary
Russian steamroller

Russian steamroller

8.7
A powerful, unstoppable force that crushes all resistance
  • noun
  • Informal
translation icon : aplastadora rusa
  • The underdog team was no match for the Russian steamroller of the defending champions.

Examples

  • Many feared the company would become a Russian steamroller in the industry, crushing all competitors.

  • Facing a Russian steamroller of public opinion, the government was forced to reverse its decision.

  • The new policy is a Russian steamroller that will change everything.

  • Many believe that the Russian steamroller of bureaucracy is too powerful.

  • Facing a Russian steamroller of public opinion, the government was forced to reverse its decision.

  • Many feared the company would become a Russian steamroller in the industry, crushing all competitors.

  • The underdog team was no match for the Russian steamroller of the defending champions.

Synonyms

juggernaut
vsRussian steamroller
17 9.1

A very large powerful force that cannot be stopped, for example a company or government

is more general and stresses unstoppable crushing of all resistance
steamroller
vsRussian steamroller
3 5.4

A force that crushes anything in its path

focuses especially on crushing all resistance rather than general overwhelm

Antonyms

weakness
133 1.4

Lack of physical or mental strength that makes someone less able to act

How Overwhelming

Russian steamroller
  • Informal
8.7
force
909 3.8
obstacle
343 3.4
setback
148 3.6
challenge
∞ 3.1

Surface Forms

Russian steamroller singular
Russian steamrollers plural

Morphology

Russian + steamroller

The meaning is directly derivable from the constituents: 'steamroller' carries the primary metaphor of an overwhelming, crushing force and 'Russian' simply specifies origin or association, so a learner who knows both words can infer an overwhelming force associated with Russia. This adjective‑noun composition follows ordinary compositional patterns common across languages and is not an idiomatic shift, making it predictable to B1 learners.

Etymology

Russian steamroller comes from the image of a heavy steamroller, a machine that flattens everything, together with Russian, used to suggest something very large and powerful. So, it means 'an overwhelming, unstoppable force' that 'crushes all resistance'.