iron

Less common meanings

8. 8
   nounfigurativelyuncountable

   Great strength, toughness, or hardness, invoked as a symbol of something that resists breaking or bending.

   The old soldier had a constitution of iron.

   She has a will of iron and never gives up on a goal.

   UsageUsed in of-phrases such as a will of iron and nerves of iron.

   Similarsteel, strength, toughness

9. 9
   chainsnouncountable or uncountable

   Metal restraints, such as shackles or chains, used to bind a prisoner's wrists or ankles.

   The mutineers were clapped in irons and taken below deck.

   Rusty leg irons still hung from the dungeon wall.

   UsageMostly after in: put in irons, clapped in irons; also leg irons.

   Similarshackle, fetter, manacle, chain

10. 10
    gunnounslangcountable or uncountable

    A firearm of any kind, whether a handgun or a long gun such as a rifle or shotgun.

    Every man in that gang was carrying iron.

    She slipped the iron back into her coat before the police arrived.

    UsageOften a bare noun (carrying iron); shooting iron too. In plain modern prose, gun is safer.

    Similargun, piece, firearm

    Note

    Gun slang that film and song have kept familiar. John Huston's The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) has "throw that old iron over here", and Marty Robbins's "Big Iron" (1959) puts one on a stranger's hip. It covers rifles and pistols alike, and shooting iron is the same word spelled out. Source

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

    • The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is a 1948 film written and directed by John Huston. en.wikipedia.org
    • The film contains the quoted words “throw that old iron over here”. en.wiktionary.org
    • Marty Robbins wrote and performed Big Iron, first released on an album in 1959. en.wikipedia.org
    • The song describes a stranger carrying a gun on his hip. en.wiktionary.org
11. 11
    weightsnouncountable or uncountable

    Weighted equipment, such as barbells and dumbbells, lifted as resistance for the purpose of building strength.

    Serious athletes spend hours moving iron in the weight room.

    She prefers lifting iron to running on a treadmill.

    UsageMostly with no article: lift iron, pump iron. In plain instructions, weights is the ordinary word.

    Similarweights

12. 12
    nouncountable or uncountable

    A hand tool of a kind formerly forged from wrought iron and now generally made of steel.

    He worked the tire iron under the edge of the tire and pried it off the rim.

    The boatbuilder tapped the caulking iron with a mallet, driving cotton into the seams of the hull.

    UsageMostly named with its job: tire iron, caulking iron.

13. 13
    meteoritenouncountable

    A meteorite made primarily of metallic iron with a small amount of nickel, rather than mostly stony material.

    The collector prized a polished iron that showed crystal patterns when etched.

    Most meteorites are stony, but irons are far easier to spot once they land.

    Note

    Meteorites are sorted by what they are made of, and an iron sits at the metal end. Stony meteorites are at the other end, with stony irons between them. Irons can be far larger and more striking than stony ones, yet they make up only a few percent of all meteorites. Source

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

    • Meteorites are classified by composition into iron, stony, and intermediate stony-iron types. australian.museum
    • Stony-iron meteorites contain a mixture of stony material and metal. meteorites.asu.edu
    • Iron meteorites can be much larger than stony meteorites. en.wikipedia.org
    • Iron meteorites constitute only a few percent of meteorites. lpi.usra.edu
14. 14
    dark graynoununcountable

    A dark shade of silver, tending toward gray.

    The new sedan comes in pearl white, black, or iron.

    His coat was a muted iron that read almost charcoal in low light.

    Similargunmetal, pewter

15. 15
    verbtransitive

    To furnish, cover, or strengthen something with iron, as by adding iron bands or plating.

    Similarreinforce, plate, bind, shoe, strengthen

16. 16
    verbarchaictransitive

    To shackle, fetter, or handcuff a person with metal restraints.

    By custom the marshals would iron any prisoner thought likely to flee.

    The jailers ironed the condemned man and led him to the cell.

    Note

    A verb from the age of fetters, and easily misread today, since ironed now suggests a pressed shirt. Walter Scott's Waverley (1814) uses it of a prisoner "ironed like a malefactor" on his way to the gallows. It is built on irons as shackles. In modern writing, shackled or put in irons says the same thing without the laundry echo, so keep this verb for historical or deliberately old-fashioned prose. Source

    Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 4 facts

    • Walter Scott wrote Waverley. gutenberg.org
    • Waverley was first published in 1814. walterscott.lib.ed.ac.uk
    • The quoted wording occurs in Waverley, in Edward Waverley's thoughts about Fergus Mac-Ivor, a prisoner facing execution at the gallows. gutenberg.org
    • The historical verb denotes putting someone in irons, meaning shackles. en.wiktionary.org
17. 17
    fire curtainnounBritishcountable or uncountable

    A fireproof safety curtain that can be lowered between stage and auditorium to contain a fire.

    During the fire inspection, the stage crew dropped the iron to check its seals.

    At the old playhouse, the iron comes down during the interval.

18. 18
    unguided bombsnounslangcountable or uncountable

    Unguided bombs that fall without any onboard guidance or steering system.

    With no precision weapons on hand, the squadron relied on iron.

    The wing commander ordered iron loaded for the low-altitude strike.

    Note

    Military slang for bombs that simply fall: no guidance, no steering, just weight released over a target. Source

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • Iron is military slang for an unguided bomb, also called a dumb bomb. en.wiktionary.org
    • These bombs lack onboard guidance and follow a ballistic trajectory. en.wikipedia.org
19. 19
    gay mannounderogatoryoffensiveslurdialectalCockneycountable

    A gay man; an offensive slang term.

    A couple of louts cornered him outside the club, jeering and calling him an iron.

    He flinched when his uncle spat the word, branding him an iron in front of the family.

    UsageA homophobic insult. Say gay man instead.

    Note

    A piece of Cockney rhyming slang that hides its insult in the clipping. The full phrase is iron hoof, rhyming with poof, and only the first half is spoken, so the rhyme carries the meaning without being said. The disguise does not soften it. Source

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • Iron is Cockney rhyming slang shortened from iron hoof, which rhymes with poof. en.wiktionary.org
    • The clipping retains iron and omits the rhyming word hoof. en.wikipedia.org