steam

[steem]

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noun

water in the form of an invisible gas or vapor.

water changed to this form by boiling, extensively used for the generation of mechanical power, for heating purposes, etc.

the mist formed when the gas or vapor from boiling water condenses in the air.

an exhalation of a vapor or mist.

Informal. power or energy.

verb (used without object)

to emit or give off steam or vapor.

to rise or pass off in the form of steam or vapor.

to become covered with condensed steam, as a window or other surface (often followed by up).

to generate or produce steam, as in a boiler.

to move or travel by the agency of steam.

to move rapidly or evenly: He steamed out of the room.

Informal. to be angry or show anger: Fans are still steaming from Monday night’s sloppy 5-4 loss.

verb (used with object)

to expose to or treat with steam, as in order to heat, cook, soften, renovate, or the like.

to emit or exhale (steam or vapor).

Informal. to cause to become irked or angry (often followed by up).

to convey by the agency of steam: to steam the ship safely into port.

adjective

heated by or heating with steam: a steam radiator.

propelled by or propelling with a steam engine.

operated by steam.

conducting steam: a steam line.

bathed with or affected by steam.

of or relating to steam.

Idioms

blow/let off steam, Informal. to give vent to one's repressed emotions, especially by talking or behaving in an unrestrained manner: Don't take her remarks too seriously—she was just blowing off steam.

Origin of steam

before 1000; Middle English steme, Old English stēam; cognate with Dutch stoom

Related formssteam·less, adjectiveout·steam, verb (used with object)pre·steam, adjective, verb (used with object)un·steamed, adjectiveun·steam·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for steam

vigor, strength, force, beef, power, sinew, vim, puissance, potency, muscle, might

Examples from the Web for steam

Contemporary Examples of steam

Parenting a kid that can get from place to place under his own steam is a whole new ballgame.
Kids Eat the Darndest Things: Laundry Pods, Teething Necklaces, and More Of The Weirdest Stuff Sending Kids to the E.R.
Russell Saunders
November 14, 2014
Why they do it who knows, but the Tragic Jen narrative has never run out of steam, even with the presence of the .
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Got Married and We’re Worried About Jennifer Aniston
Kevin Fallon, Tim Teeman
August 28, 2014
I now know this was a conduction-style vaporizer, which requires a chamber to hold the steam.
This Is Your E-Cigarette on Drugs
Daniel Genis
July 28, 2014
The air around the grill clouds with the steam of sizzling onions.
The Most American Pit Stop in the U.S.A.
Jane & Michael Stern
July 21, 2014
The show was an instant hit and a cash cow for Walters and ABC, but lately the franchise has been running out of steam.
The View’s Bloody Backstage Politics: How Barbara Walters and Bill Geddie Lost Control of Their Show
Lloyd Grove
July 16, 2014

Historical Examples of steam

It was imagined that it was necessary to expel it by means of heat or steam.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 447, July 26, 1884
Various
The sound was exactly that of steam roaring from a locomotive's safety valve.
The Leopard Woman
Stewart Edward White
A steam dahabeah is what we want, so we won't be at the mercy of the wind.
It Happened in Egypt
C. N. Williamson
There were no passengers on board the steam dahabeah Mamoudieh.
It Happened in Egypt
C. N. Williamson
The atmosphere was stifling as a night in the rains by reason of the steam and the crowd.
American Notes
Rudyard Kipling

British Dictionary definitions for steam

steam

noun

the gas or vapour into which water is changed when boiled

the mist formed when such gas or vapour condenses in the atmosphere

any vaporous exhalation

informal power, energy, or speed

get up steam

(of a ship, etc) to work up a sufficient head of steam in a boiler to drive an engine
informalto go quickly

let off steam informal to release pent-up energy or emotions

under one's own steam without the assistance of others

Australian slang cheap wine

(modifier) driven, operated, heated, powered, etc, by steama steam radiator

(modifier) treated by steamsteam ironed; steam cleaning

(modifier) jocular old-fashioned; outmodedsteam radio

verb

to emit or be emitted as steam

(intr) to generate steam, as a boiler, etc

(intr) to move or travel by steam power, as a ship, etc

(intr) informal to proceed quickly and sometimes forcefully

to cook or be cooked in steam

(tr) to treat with steam or apply steam to, as in cleaning, pressing clothes, etc

Word Origin for steam

Old English; related to Dutch stoom steam, perhaps to Old High German stioban to raise dust, Gothic stubjus dust

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for steam

Old English steam "vapor, fume," from Proto-Germanic *staumaz (cf. Dutch stoom), of unknown origin. Steam age first attested 1941. Steam heat as a method of temperature control recorded from 1904.

Old English stemen, stymen "to emit a scent or odor," from the root of steam (n.). Slang meaning "to make angry" is from 1922. Related: Steamed; steaming.

steam in Science

steam

[stēm]

Water in its gaseous state, especially at a temperature above the boiling point of water (above 100°C, or 212°F, at sea level). See Note at vapor.

A mist of condensed water vapor.

Idioms and Phrases with steam

steam

see blow off steam; full speed (steam) ahead; get up steam; run out of steam; under one's own steam.