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steering mechanism

steering mechanism

1 4.1
A group of parts that controls the direction of a vehicle like a car or bicycle
  • noun
  • /ˈstɪrɪŋ ˈmɛkənɪzəm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : sistema de dirección
  • The steering mechanism of the car must be checked regularly to ensure safety on the road.

Examples

  • The wheels of the tractor are powered directly by four hydraulic motors connected to a pump run off an 18 hp gasoline engine; the motors should be durable, but mounting them to some sort of steering mechanism proved challenging.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The steering mechanism is stuck.

  • Something must be wrong with the steering mechanism, he decided a minute later.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Its magnitude depends on wheelbase, steering mechanism, total mass of the chair and user, and their center of gravity.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Wheels are pneumatic, and the steering mechanism turns via custom-made brass fittings.

    Blog text (33)
  • In this way, the fundamental building blocks—the wheels on a car, the steering mechanism, the axles—can be isolated.

    Academic text (2005)
  • During the test drive, I noticed that the steering mechanism was overly sensitive and needed adjustment.

  • The engineer explained how the steering mechanism controlled the direction of the vehicle in response to the driver's input.

Synonyms

steering system
vssteering mechanism
  • Formal
1 3.9

A set of parts that let a driver turn and guide a vehicle

focuses on the parts working together rather than a single guiding device

How Complex

steering system
  • Formal
1 3.9
steering mechanism
  • Specialized
1 4.1
steering gear
  • Specialized
4.0
tiller
  • Specialized
4 7.0
rudder
53 3.2

Surface Forms

Morphology

steering + mechanism

The compound noun is directly compositional: 'steering' (the act of directing) + 'mechanism' (a device or system) yields a system that directs a vehicle's direction. This noun+noun composition follows regular English formation and has clear cross-linguistic parallels, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Steering mechanism comes from the simple picture of a wheel or bar you turn to change direction; steering means turning and mechanism means the parts that do the job. So, it refers to the parts that 'control the direction' of a car, bike, or other vehicle.