steamroller
/ˈstimˌroʊlɚ/noun, verb
steamroller is spelled S-T-E-A-M-R-O-L-L-E-R: 11 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 63,645th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, steamroller means “A steam-powered heavy road roller” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of steamroller is steamrollers.
How many letters and syllables are in steamroller?
| Letters | 11: S-T-E-A-M-R-O-L-L-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 5 million words; the 63,645th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is steamroller?
Steamroller appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 63,645th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce steamroller?
- US /ˈstimˌroʊlɚ/
Steamroller has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Flame,_not_lame-steamroller.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with steamroller
Also written: steam roller (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of steamroller
- steamrollers plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- steam roller
- steamrollering participle, present
- steamrollered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does steamroller mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A steam-powered heavy road roller.
- 2
informalAny heavy road roller.
- 3
Any seemingly irresistible force.
- 4
slangA pipe, used for smoking cannabis, open at both ends and having a bowl near one end.
verb
- 1
To level a road using a steamroller.
- 2
To proceed ruthlessly against all opposition as if with an overwhelming force.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Steamroller in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense steam-powered road roller:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | rouleau compresseur |
| German | Dampfwalze |
| Spanish | apisonadora |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does steamroller come from?
From steam + roller.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).