- a tall ornamental tower that forms the superstructure of a church, temple, etc
- such a tower with the spire above it
- any spire or pointed structure
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
stee•ple /ˈstipəl/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Architecturea tower having an ornamental top in the shape of a spire, built on a church, public building, etc.
stee•ple
(stē′pəl),USA pronunciation n., v., -pled, -pling.
n.
v.t.
stee′pled, adj.
stee′ple•less, adj.
stee′ple•like′, adj.
n.
- Architecturean ornamental construction, usually ending in a spire, erected on a roof or tower of a church, public building, etc.
- Architecturea tower terminating in such a construction.
- Architecture(loosely) a spire.
v.t.
- to provide with or form into a steeple or steeplelike configuration.
- Middle English stepel steeple, tower, Old English stēpel tower. See steep1, -le bef. 1000
stee′ple•less, adj.
stee′ple•like′, adj.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
steeple /ˈstiːpəl/ n
'steeple' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
belfry
- spire
- steeplejack
- crown
- flèche
- hennin
- steeplebush
- steeplechase
- steeple cup
- steeple headdress