- a type of steel resistant to corrosion as a result of the presence of large amounts of chromium (12–15 per cent). The carbon content depends on the application, being 0.2–0.4 per cent for steel used in cutlery, etc, and about 1 per cent for use in scalpels and razor blades
- (as modifier): stainless-steel cutlery
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
stain•less steel /ˈsteɪnlɪs ˈstil/USA pronunciation n. [uncountable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Metallurgya steel containing 12 percent chromium, so as to resist rust.
stain′less steel′,
- Metallurgyalloy steel containing 12 percent or more chromium, so as to be resistant to rust and attack from various chemicals. Also called stainless.
- 1915–20
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
stainless steel n
'stainless steel' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
advanced gas-cooled reactor
- hubcap
- needle
- pin
- stainless
- steel
- Barcelona chair
- bimetallic
- Brno chair
- chromium
- deckle
- fruit knife
- trimetallic
- silver
- silverware
- steam table