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“Steals” or “Steels” or “Steles”

steals / steels / steles are similar-sounding terms with different meanings (referred to as homophones). To better understand the differences, see below for definitions, pronunciation guides, and example sentences using each term.

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Definitions

What each term means

Same sound, different spellings and meanings, shown with a pronunciation guide for each term.

steals s·t·IY·l·z

  • nouna stolen base; an instance in which a base runner advances safely during the delivery of a pitch (without the help of a hit or walk or passed ball or wild pitch).
  • verbtake without the owner's consent.
  • verbmove stealthily.
  • verbsteal a base.

steels s·t·IY·l·z

  • nounan alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon; widely used in construction; mechanical properties can be varied over a wide range.
  • nounknife sharpener consisting of a ridged steel rod.
  • verbget ready for something difficult or unpleasant.
  • verbcover, plate, or edge with steel.

steles

  • nounthe usually cylindrical central vascular portion of the axis of a vascular plant.
  • nounan ancient upright stone slab bearing markings.
Usage

Examples in context

Real sentences for each spelling. Hover an example to copy it.

“steals”

  • …assists, 1.0 blocks and 0.9 steals per game.
  • …Jr. as a punk who steals Beaver's bike
  • …baby reaches the bag and steals it back with just enough…
  • …an act of betrayal, Lacaine steals her essence, seals it in…
  • The Olsen-banden steals the priceless Bedford Diamonds from…
  • Yates steals a pickup truck.
  • Mac steals Dr. Greenbox's Micro Brain Repair…
  • …"SWAT Kats Unplugged", Hard Drive steals an anti-weapons scrambler from Pumadyne…
  • …walls into adjacent rooms and steals a motel patron's car.
  • …a duel, disarms him and steals the jewel.

“steels”

  • …Alert (Philadelphia), Science Citation Index, Steels Alert, and World Aluminum Abstracts.
  • …cementite is present in most steels and cast irons, it is…
  • plain-carbon steels and cast irons) it is…
  • …close-packed Fe2-3C, precipitates in plain-carbon steels of carbon content > 0.2%,…
  • …Fe5C2, precipitates in hardened tool steels tempered at 200-300 °C.
  • Therefore, in carbon steels and cast irons that are…
  • …War: extracts from Steel's Scotland's Story)

“steles”

  • …the famous 15th-century Yongning Temple Steles from the lower Amur.

Examples are Wikipedia snippets under the CC ShareAlike 3.0 license. Definitions are drawn from WordNet.

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