What does "iron" mean?
A common, inexpensive metal, silvery grey when untarnished, that rusts, is attracted by magnets, and is used in making steel: a chemical element having atomic number 26 and symbol Fe.
Iron
/æːn/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A common, inexpensive metal, silvery grey when untarnished, that rusts, is attracted by magnets, and is used in making steel: a chemical element having atomic number 26 and symbol Fe.
- Grammar: iron is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: fe, adamant, adamantine, aluminum.
- Useful contrasts: rumpled, aes, bright.
- Usage evidence: The Golden Gate Bridge is made of iron.
How to use "iron"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "iron" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "iron" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "iron" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "iron" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "iron" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "fe" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "iron", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A common, inexpensive metal, silvery grey when untarnished, that rusts, is attracted by magnets, and is used in making steel: a chemical element having atomic number 26 and symbol Fe. uncountable
"Today we studied about metals — including iron — at school."
- 2 home appliance consisting of a flat metal base that is heated and used to smooth cloth wordnet
- 3 Any material, not a steel, predominantly made of elemental iron. countable, uncountable
- 4 a golf club that has a relatively narrow metal head wordnet
- 5 A tool or appliance made of metal, which is heated and then used to transfer heat to something else; most often a thick piece of metal fitted with a handle and having a flat, roughly triangular bottom, which is heated and used to press wrinkles from clothing, and now usually containing an electrical heating apparatus. countable
Show 13 more definitions
- 6 implement used to brand live stock wordnet
- 7 Any of several other tools traditionally made of wrought iron, now usually of steel. countable, uncountable
- 8 a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood wordnet
- 9 Shackles. countable, plural-normally, uncountable
- 10 A firearm, either a long gun or a handgun. countable, slang, uncountable
"Ah, throw that old iron over here! We'll pick it up and go on our way."
- 11 A dark shade of the color silver. uncountable
- 12 A male homosexual. Cockney, countable, offensive, slang
- 13 A golf club used for middle-distance shots. countable, uncountable
"The brassey much resembled the driver, but the iron opened out quite a new field of practice; […]"
- 14 Used as a symbol of great strength or toughness, or to signify a very strong or tough material. figuratively, uncountable
"ironman; a will of iron"
- 15 Weight used as resistance for the purpose of strength training. countable, uncountable
"He lifts iron on the weekends."
- 16 A meteorite consisting primarily of metallic iron (mixed with a small amount of nickel), as opposed to one composed mainly of stony material. countable
"Irons and stony irons can be much larger than stony meteorites and are much more visually striking, but make up only a few percent of all meteorites."
- 17 A safety curtain in a theatre. countable, uncountable
- 18 A dumb bomb, one without guidance systems. countable, slang, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To pass an iron over (clothing or some other item made of cloth) in order to remove creases. transitive
"You'd be wise to iron that shirt before you wear it."
- 2 press and smooth with a heated iron wordnet
- 3 To engage in such pressing of clothing. intransitive
"They were washing and ironing all morning."
- 4 To shackle with irons; to fetter or handcuff. archaic, transitive
"[...] is it he who is ironed like a malefactor—who is to be dragged on a hurdle to the common gallows—to die a lingering and cruel death, and to be mangled by the hand of the most outcast of wretches?"
- 5 To furnish, clad, or arm with iron. transitive
"to iron a wagon"
Adjective
- 1 Made of the metal iron. not-comparable
- 2 Of or pertaining to the Iron people. not-comparable
- 3 Strong (as of will), inflexible. figuratively, not-comparable
"She had an iron will."
Adjective
- 1 extremely robust wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 The 57th sura (chapter) of the Qur'an.
- 2 A group of Ossetians of the northern Caucasus who speak the Iron Ossetian dialect.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The Golden Gate Bridge is made of iron."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "iron"?
Common synonyms include: fe, adamant, adamantine, aluminum, americium, atomic number 26.
How do you use "iron" in a sentence?
The Golden Gate Bridge is made of iron.
How do you pronounce "iron"?
Pronounced /æːn/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English iren, from Old English īsern, īsærn, īren, īsen, from Proto-West Germanic *īsarn, from Proto-Germanic *īsarną (“iron”), from Proto-Celtic *īsarnom (“iron”), possibly a derivation from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ésh₂r̥ (“blood”). Cognates Cognate with Scots airn, ern (“iron”), Yola eeren (“iron”), Saterland Frisian Iersen (“iron”), West Frisian izer (“iron”), Bavarian Eisn (“iron”), Cimbrian aizarn (“iron”), Dutch ijzer (“iron”), German, Luxembourgish Eisen (“iron”), German Low German Isen (“iron”), Limburgish iezer (“iron”), Mòcheno aisn (“iron”), Vilamovian ȧjza (“iron”), West Flemish yzer (“iron”), Yiddish אײַזן (ayzn, “iron”), Danish jern, jærn (“iron”), Faroese jarn (“iron”), Icelandic járn (“iron”), Jamtish járn, jáðn (“iron”), Norwegian Bokmål jern (“iron”), Norwegian Nynorsk jarn, jern, jønn (“iron”), Swedish jern, jaͤrn, järn (“iron”), Gothic 𐌴𐌹𐍃𐌰𐍂𐌽 (eisarn, “iron”).
Etymology 2
Translation of the Arabic حديد (ḥadīd, “iron”).
Etymology 3
From Ossetian Ирон (Iron), a derivation (with the adjective suffix Ossetian -он (-on) from the historical genitive plural Proto-Indo-Iranian *-ānaHam) of Ossetian Ир (Ir). Ossetian Ир (Ir) probably reflexes Proto-Indo-Iranian *wiHrás. Because the Digoron ethnonym for the Ir is Ossetian Ирӕ (Iræ), Cheung (2002) has suggested a derivation from the plural Proto-Indo-Iranian *wiHrā́s. Ossetian Ирон (Iron) is unrelated to Iran despite the superficial similarity in form. Borrowed into the Vainakh languages (and some Dagestani languages) as their exonym for the Ossetes, cf. Chechen Хӏири (Hiri), Ingush Хӏире (Hire).