metal

metal — noun

1. a shiny solid material from the earth, like iron, gold, or copper, that heat or

1.nounA2
Definition

a shiny solid material from the earth, like iron, gold, or copper, that heat or electricity can flow through easily and that people use to make tools, machines, and jewellery.

Example

The bridge was built with strong steel and other metals that resist rust.

collocation: be built with [metal]

Rania collected scrap metal from old cars and sold it to a recycling factory.

collocation: scrap metal

Common collocations
  • heavy metal
  • precious metal
  • scrap metal
  • sheet metal
Synonyms
  • alloy

    a mixture of two or more metals, such as steel or bronze

  • ore

    rock from which metal is taken out, not the metal itself

Usage Note

When talking about the material in general, metal is uncountable ('a chair made of metal'). When referring to different types, it is countable ('Iron and copper are two common metals').

Common Mistakes

He won a gold metal in the race.
He won a gold medal in the race.
'metal' is a material; 'medal' is an award.

2. a powerful, loud style of popular music that uses heavy electric guitar sounds a

2.nounB1
Definition

a powerful, loud style of popular music that uses heavy electric guitar sounds and fast drumming, also known as heavy metal.

Example

Kenji's favourite metal band is playing at the stadium next Saturday night.

collocation: metal band

The metal concert was so loud that Trang felt the bass vibrating inside her chest.

Common collocations
  • metal band
  • metal concert
  • metal fan
  • heavy metal music
Synonyms
  • heavy metal

    the full, more formal name for this style of music

Usage Note

Often shortened to just 'metal'. Used as a modifier before nouns: 'metal band', 'metal concert', 'metal fan'. The full name 'heavy metal' is more common in formal or descriptive contexts.

Idioms

put the pedal to the metal

idiom

To go as fast as possible or work with maximum effort.

Maya put the pedal to the metal and finished the report by noon.

Can you put the pedal to the metal on this project?

metal — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Metal, alloy, ore, and mineral describe related but distinct things. A metal is a natural shiny substance such as iron, gold, or copper. An alloy is a man-made mixture of two or more metals — for example, steel is an alloy of iron and carbon. Ore is the rock or earth from which metal is extracted; you cannot make a tool directly from ore. A mineral is a broader category: any natural solid found in the ground that is not from a plant or animal, including both metals and non-metals like quartz. Everyday confusion: 'This ring is made of silver' (metal) vs. 'This ring is made of sterling silver' (alloy — silver mixed with copper).

metal ↗alloy ↗oremineral ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • metal object
  • metal surface
  • metal detector
  • metal frame
  • metal roof
  • metal container

Phrases

  • made of metal
  • piece of metal
  • sheet of metal
  • type of metal
  • scrap metal recycling

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

Metal comes from the Greek word 'metallon', which meant a mine or a quarry. The meaning later shifted to refer to the substances dug out of those mines. The word travelled into English through Latin 'metallum' and old French 'metal'.