steamroller: Meaning and Definition of

steam•roll•er

Pronunciation: (stēm'rō"lur), [key]
— n.
  1. a heavy steam-powered vehicle having a roller for crushing, compacting, or leveling materials used for a road or the like.
  2. (not in technical use) any similar vehicle with a roller.
  3. an overpowering force, esp. one that crushes all opposition with ruthless disregard for individual rights.
—v.t.
  1. to crush or flatten with a steamroller.
  2. to overcome with superior force: to steamroller the competition.
  3. to bring about the adoption of by overwhelming pressure: to steamroller the resolution through.
—v.i.
  1. to proceed with implacable force.
—adj.
  1. suggestive of a steamroller; ruthlessly overpowering: steamroller tactics.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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