steel wool

noun

Fine strips or threads of steel, usually formed into pads or balls and used as an abrasive.

“Don’t use the steel wool on this pan; you’ll strip off the Teflon coating.”

Similar
wire wool
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Meanings

nounsteel wool (countable and uncountable, plural steel wools)

plural steel wools · alternative steel-wool · alternative steelwool

  1. countableuncountableFine strips or threads of steel, usually formed into pads or balls and used as an abrasive.

    Don’t use the steel wool on this pan; you’ll strip off the Teflon coating.

Synonyms & antonyms

nouna mass of woven steel fibers used as an abrasive

Similar
wire wool
Broader
abrasiveabradantabrasive material
Also see
wire wool

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

Arabic سِلْك اَلتَّنْظِيف
  • سِلْك اَلتَّنْظِيف (silk at-tanẓīf)fine threads of steel
Chinese Mandarin 鋼絲絨 /钢丝绒, 鋼絲球 /钢丝球
  • 鋼絲絨 /钢丝绒 (gāngsīróng)fine threads of steel
  • 鋼絲球 /钢丝球 (gāngsīqiú)fine threads of steel
Czech drátěnka
  • drátěnkafine threads of steel
Danish ståluld
  • ståluldfine threads of steel
Dutch staalwol
  • staalwolfine threads of steel
Finnish teräsvilla
  • teräsvillafine threads of steel
French paille de fer
  • paille de ferfine threads of steel
German Stahlwolle
  • Stahlwollefine threads of steel
Hungarian acélgyapot, acélforgács
  • acélgyapotfine threads of steel
  • acélforgácsfine threads of steel
  • fémforgácsfine threads of steel
  • vasforgácsfine threads of steel
  • fémsúrolófine threads of steel
  • dörzskefefine threads of steel
  • dörzsifine threads of steel
Icelandic stálull
  • stálullfine threads of steel
Italian paglietta
  • pagliettafine threads of steel
Māori wūru maitai
  • wūru maitaifine threads of steel
Norwegian Bokmål stålull
  • stålullfine threads of steel
Polish wełna stalowa
  • wełna stalowafine threads of steel
Portuguese palha de aço, esponja de aço
  • palha de açofine threads of steel
  • esponja de açofine threads of steel
  • lã de açofine threads of steel
  • bombrilfine threads of steel
Romanian burete de sârmă
  • burete de sârmăfine threads of steel
Spanish estropajo de acero, esponja metálica
  • estropajo de acerofine threads of steel
  • esponja metálicafine threads of steel
  • zacate de alambrefine threads of steel
  • virutillafine threads of steel
  • virulanafine threads of steel
  • fregajo de aluminiofine threads of steel
  • nanasfine threads of steel
Swedish stålull, svinto
  • stålullfine threads of steel
  • svintofine threads of steel
Turkish bulaşık teli, tel
  • bulaşık telifine threads of steel
  • telfine threads of steel
Cite this entry
APA

steel wool. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/steel%20wool

MLA

“steel wool.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/steel%20wool. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “steel wool,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/steel%20wool.

Source: steel wool on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.