Of course you can trust me. Have I ever given you a bum steer before?
Source: tatoeba (32058)
Steer
/stɪə/
Synonyms for "steer" (301 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (61)
Strong matches (90)
Noun(31 words)
Adjective(8 words)
direct meaningeconomic influenceeconomic influence factorsgoverning systemgradual policy preference changeguiding abilitieshistorical process changeimmediate influence
Related words (150)
leadlead toleppymake formake gomake up tomanagemaneuvermanipulatemaverickmilch cowmilchermilk cowmilkermonitionmuley cowmuley headmusk-oxnavigateneat
Show 71 more words
officeoperateoxoxenpassing wordpeacockperform onpilotplaypointpoint outpoint out topoint the waypointerpracticeput rightramregulateroosterrouterunrun forsailsail forseesee tosetset out forset rightset straightshape a courseshepherdshowshow the wayshunstagstallionsteer clear ofsteer forstirkstotstudstudhorsesupervisetake care oftake the helmtendtend to gotiptip offtip-offtomtom turkeytomcattop cowtop horsetrendtupturkey gobblerturkey-cockturnvergewarningwetherwhisperwisentword to the wiseworkyakyearlingzebu
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: bullock, advice, aim, alerting, angle.
- Sentence evidence is available for steer, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, derived_reverse, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "steer".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "steer"
Keep "steer" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "steer" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "steer", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "steer" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
19 entriesShowing 16 of 19 words.
More specific
10 entriesCollocations
10 entriesAngus steerHereford steerHolstein steerbeef steersteer cattlesteer weightsteering columnsteering committeesteering mechanismsteering wheel
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
4 entriesTranslations
124 translations across 38 languages.
Albanian
2 entries- prij verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- udhëheq verb (intransitive: guide the course)
Ancient Greek
2 entries- κυβερνάω verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- κυβερνάω verb (transitive: guide the course of)
Arabic
3 entries- قاد verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- قَادَ verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- قَادَ verb (transitive: guide the course of)
Armenian
2 entries- վարել verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- վարել verb (transitive: guide the course of)
Basque
1 entries- gidatu verb (intransitive: guide the course)
Bulgarian
3 entries- насочвам се verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- насочвам се verb (transitive: guide the course of)
- управлявам verb (transitive: guide the course of)
Catalan
4 entries- dirigir verb (transitive: guide the course of)
- governar verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- guiar verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- menar verb (intransitive: guide the course)
Chinese Mandarin
4 entries- 引导 verb (transitive: guide the course of)
- 指导 verb (transitive: guide the course of)
- 掌舵 verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- 驾驶 verb (intransitive: guide the course)
Czech
3 entries- směrovat verb (transitive: guide the course of)
- řídit verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- řídit verb (transitive: guide the course of)
Danish
2 entries- styre verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- styre verb (transitive: guide the course of)
Dutch
1 entries- besturen verb (transitive: guide the course of)
Esperanto
2 entries- stiri verb (transitive: guide the course of)
- stiriĝi verb (intransitive: guide the course)
Estonian
2 entries- juhtima verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- juhtima verb (transitive: guide the course of)
Finnish
4 entries- ajaa verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- ajaa verb (transitive: guide the course of)
- ohjata verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- ohjata verb (transitive: guide the course of)
French
4 entries- barrer verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- conduire verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- diriger verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- guider verb (intransitive: guide the course)
Galician
4 entries- conducir verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- conducir verb (transitive: guide the course of)
- gobernar verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- gobernar verb (transitive: guide the course of)
Georgian
2 entries- მართავს verb (transitive: guide the course of)
- მართვა verb (intransitive: guide the course)
German
2 entries- steuern verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- steuern verb (transitive: guide the course of)
Hebrew
2 entries- נוהג verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- נוהג ב־ verb (transitive: guide the course of)
Hungarian
4 entries- irányít verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- irányít verb (transitive: guide the course of)
- kormányoz verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- kormányoz verb (transitive: guide the course of)
Italian
4 entries- dirigere verb (transitive: guide the course of)
- governare verb (transitive: guide the course of)
- guidare verb (transitive: guide the course of)
- manovrare verb (transitive: guide the course of)
Japanese
4 entries- 操縦する verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- 操縦する verb (transitive: guide the course of)
- 操舵する verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- 操舵する verb (transitive: guide the course of)
Latin
1 entries- gubernō verb (transitive: guide the course of)
Latvian
3 entries- stūrēt verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- vadīt verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- vadīt verb (transitive: guide the course of)
Macedonian
1 entries- управува verb (intransitive: guide the course)
Mongolian
2 entries- жолоодох verb (transitive: guide the course of)
- залах verb (intransitive: guide the course)
Māori
4 entries- rūnā verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- rūnā verb (transitive: guide the course of)
- tia verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- tia verb (transitive: guide the course of)
Occitan
4 entries- conduire verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- dirigir verb (transitive: guide the course of)
- governar verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- governar verb (transitive: guide the course of)
Polish
4 entries- kierować verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- kierować verb (transitive: guide the course of)
- sterować verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- sterować verb (transitive: guide the course of)
Portuguese
4 entries- direcionar verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- direcionar verb (transitive: guide the course of)
- guiar verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- guiar verb (transitive: guide the course of)
Romanian
4 entries- conduce verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- conduce verb (transitive: guide the course of)
- cârmi verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- dirija verb (intransitive: guide the course)
Russian
4 entries- води́ть verb (transitive: guide the course of)
- пра́вить рулём verb (transitive: guide the course of)
- управля́ть verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- управля́ть verb (transitive: guide the course of)
Sanskrit
1 entries- राष्टि verb (transitive: guide the course of)
Serbo-Croatian
4 entries- kormilariti verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- upravljati verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- upravljati verb (transitive: guide the course of)
- usmjeravati verb (intransitive: guide the course)
Spanish
4 entries- conducir verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- conducir verb (transitive: guide the course of)
- dirigir verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- dirigir verb (transitive: guide the course of)
Swedish
2 entries- styra verb (intransitive: guide the course)
- styra verb (transitive: guide the course of)
Thai
1 entries- ถือพวงมาลัย verb (intransitive: guide the course)
Turkish
1 entries- yönetmek verb (transitive: guide the course of)
Sample sentences
21 total sentences available.
You must steer clear of that gang.
Source: tatoeba (67786)
That car dealer gave me a bum steer when he told me this used Toyota was in good condition.
Source: tatoeba (68721)
I had trouble with the new car. It was difficult to steer.
Source: tatoeba (269182)
Showing 4 of 21 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "steer"?
Closest matches include bullock, advice, aim, alerting, angle.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "steer"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.