Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - steadily

see steady STEADY (steadier, steadiest, steadies, steadying, steadied) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. A steady situation continues or develops gradually without any interruptions and is not likely to change quickly. Despite the steady progress of building work, the campaign against it is still going strong... The improvement in standards has been steady and persistent, but has attracted little comment from educationalists... A student doesn’t have a steady income. ADJ • steadily Relax as much as possible and keep breathing steadily... ADV: ADV with v 2. If an object is steady, it is firm and does not shake or move about. Get as close to the subject as you can and hold the camera steady... ? unsteady ADJ 3. If you look at someone or speak to them in a steady way, you look or speak in a calm, controlled way. ‘Well, go on,’ said Camilla, her voice fairly steady... ADJ • steadily He moved back a little and stared steadily at Elaine. ADV: ADV after v 4. If you describe a person as steady, you mean that they are sensible and reliable. He was firm and steady unlike other men she knew. ADJ: usu v-link ADJ 5. If you steady something or if it steadies, it stops shaking or moving about. Two men were on the bridge-deck, steadying a ladder... Lovelock eased back the throttles and the ship steadied. VERB: V n, V 6. If you steady yourself, you control your voice or expression, so that people will think that you are calm and not nervous. Somehow she steadied herself and murmured, ‘Have you got a cigarette?’... She breathed in to steady her voice. = compose VERB: V pron-refl, V n 7. You say ‘steady on’ to someone to tell them to calm down or to be careful about what they are saying. ‘What if there’s another murder?’—‘Steady on!’... EXCLAM