1historical The part of a ship providing the cheapest accommodation for passengers.
〈史〉（客轮的）统舱
poor emigrants in steerage
统舱里贫穷的移民。
Example sentencesExamples
By virtue of clothing alone, it was not at all difficult to tell which passengers were steerage, and which were first-class.
In Titanic, virtually every Englishman was insufferable, while happy Irish fiddlers and dancers created a wonderful atmosphere in steerage.
Writing of the conditions in steerage, one cabin passenger commented ‘poor creatures, it is a horrible place between decks, so many people in so small a space, I wonder how they live.’
Dickens is especially convincing about the wretched conditions experienced by emigrants who travelled in steerage.
Letters and travel diaries indicate that dancing was an activity enjoyed by both steerage and cabin passengers, illustrating dance's potential as a site for exchange between these groups.
2archaic, literary The action of steering a boat.
〈古或诗/文〉驾船，掌舵
he lowers his sails and enters softly, with gentle steerage
Rhymes
peerage
Definition of steerage in US English:
steerage
nounˈstɪrɪdʒˈstirij
1historical The part of a ship providing accommodations for passengers with the cheapest tickets.
〈史〉（客轮的）统舱
poor emigrants in steerage
统舱里贫穷的移民。
Example sentencesExamples
Dickens is especially convincing about the wretched conditions experienced by emigrants who travelled in steerage.
In Titanic, virtually every Englishman was insufferable, while happy Irish fiddlers and dancers created a wonderful atmosphere in steerage.
Writing of the conditions in steerage, one cabin passenger commented ‘poor creatures, it is a horrible place between decks, so many people in so small a space, I wonder how they live.’
By virtue of clothing alone, it was not at all difficult to tell which passengers were steerage, and which were first-class.
Letters and travel diaries indicate that dancing was an activity enjoyed by both steerage and cabin passengers, illustrating dance's potential as a site for exchange between these groups.