Steelie
//ˈstiːli// noun, slang
noun, slang ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A zinc-coated steel one-cent (penny) coin, produced during World War II because of copper shortages. US
"the jewel of his collection, a steelie from 1943"
- 2 A steel bearing ball used as a marble.
"the heaviest in his collection, an old steelie from the junkyard"
- 3 A steel wheel. colloquial
"old Mopars wearing steelies with dog dishes"
- 4 A steel-toe boot. informal, plural, plural-only, usually
"Better wear your steelies when he's around. [implying that he is clumsy]"
Example
More examples"the jewel of his collection, a steelie from 1943"
Etymology
From steel + -ie.
Related phrases
More for "steelie"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.