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• steam
  steam

  noun

  water in the form of an invisible gas or vapor.
• STEAM
  STEAM

  noun

  science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics, considered as a group of academic or career fields (often used attributively).

steam

¹ American  

[steem] / stim /

noun

• steam
  plural

1. water in the form of an invisible gas or vapor.

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

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

4. an exhalation of a vapor or mist.

5. Informal. power or energy.

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verb (used without object)

• steams,
  present (3rd person singular)
• steamed,
  past participle,  past
• steaming
  present participle

1. to emit or give off steam or vapor.

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

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

4. to generate or produce steam, as in a boiler.

5. to move or travel by the agency of steam.

6. to move rapidly or evenly.

   He steamed out of the room.

7. Informal. to be angry or show anger.

   Fans are still steaming from Monday night’s sloppy 5-4 loss.

verb (used with object)

• steams,
  present (3rd person singular)
• steamed,
  past participle,  past
• steaming
  present participle

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

2. to emit or exhale (steam or vapor).

3. Informal. to cause to become irked or angry (often followed byup ).

4. to convey by the agency of steam.

   to steam the ship safely into port.

adjective

1. heated by or heating with steam.

   a steam radiator.

2. propelled by or propelling with a steam engine.

3. operated by steam.

4. conducting steam.

   a steam line.

5. bathed with or affected by steam.

6. of or relating to steam.

idioms

1. blow / let off steam, 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.

STEAM ² American  

[steem] / stim /

noun

1. science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics, considered as a group of academic or career fields (often used attributively).

   Engaging students in STEAM subjects helps them become adept at solving all kinds of problems they might encounter, regardless of their chosen careers.

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steam British  

/ stiːm /

noun

1. the gas or vapour into which water is changed when boiled

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

3. any vaporous exhalation

4. informal power, energy, or speed

5. 1. (of a ship, etc) to work up a sufficient head of steam in a boiler to drive an engine

   2. informal to go quickly

6. informal to release pent-up energy or emotions

7. without the assistance of others

8. slang cheap wine

9. (modifier) driven, operated, heated, powered, etc, by steam

   a steam radiator

10. (modifier) treated by steam

    steam ironed

    steam cleaning

11. humorous (modifier) old-fashioned; outmoded

    steam radio

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verb

1. to emit or be emitted as steam

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

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

4. informal (intr) to proceed quickly and sometimes forcefully

5. to cook or be cooked in steam

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

steam Scientific  

/ stēm /

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

2. See Note at vapor

3. A mist of condensed water vapor.

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steam More Idioms  

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• outsteam
  verb (used with object)
• presteam
  adjective
• steamless
  adjective
• unsteamed
  adjective
• unsteaming
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• steam
  plural

Participles

• steaming
  present
• steamed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• steam
  simple
• steams
  simple
• have steamed
  perfect
• has steamed
  perfect
• am steaming
  progressive
• are steaming
  progressive
• is steaming
  progressive
• have been steaming
  perfect progressive
• has been steaming
  perfect progressive

Past

• steamed
  simple
• had steamed
  perfect
• was steaming
  progressive
• were steaming
  progressive
• had been steaming
  perfect progressive

Future

• will steam
  simple
• will have steamed
  perfect
• will be steaming
  progressive
• will have been steaming
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of steam

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

Explanation

Steam is what water becomes when it's heated to boiling and begins to turn into a gas. On a cold morning, you can really see the steam rising off your mug of hot chocolate. The steam we can see is water vapor, made up of the tiny water drops that form while water condenses. People have put steam to work in many different ways, including cooking, cleaning, and even powering trains and boats. If you "let off steam," you express your frustration or anger to calm yourself down. If you "lose steam," you lose energy or enthusiasm.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

steam STEAM steams steamed steaming

All that steam time also shrinks “the product,” Langer says,”anywhere from 35 to 38%.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026

Meanwhile, the paper has a feature on how "a global effort to tax tourists is picking up steam".

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

The only other comparable product in the market right now is an AI agent from a startup called Instinct that is also gaining steam but is invite-only.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

At atmospheric pressure, water can expand in volume around 1,700 times when converted to steam.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026

Now, with the mountain spewing steam and ash, he could really put his knowledge to work.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone

Jakes, the televangelist and bestselling author, is aiming to help avert a looming employment crisis for minority communities by promoting a camp based on STEAM.

From Washington Times ● Feb. 3, 2022

While the activities are hands-on lessons in science, technology, engineering, art and math, or STEAM, Mr. Lee says the children are also learning about resilience: the willingness to overcome adversity and try, try again.

From New York Times ● Feb. 22, 2019

But personally I like to call it STEAM.

From Washington Times ● Apr. 7, 2016

With STEAM, the pressure is off to become a scientist or engineer—you can be a designer, digital artist, coder, art director, and scientist and engineer all at the same time.

From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2015

The following table, while it must not be taken as fully conclusive, gives at least a basis of consideration:   HOT AIR STEAM.

From The Complete Home by Clara E. (Clara Elizabeth) Laughlin

Down on the ground, smoke steams from the soil.

From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026

The emptied vessel then returns to Iran—or at least used to, before the blockade—while the newly laden one steams on to China.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026

Norris also maintained other income steams, including a long-running role as a pitchman for the Total Gym line of exercise equipment, promoting his fitness regimen well into his 80s.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 20, 2026

“I am not a teacher,” Hardwick steams, “I am a writer.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2022

A whole fresh batch of laughter steams up the windows.

From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée

If you’ve been peering through the steamed up windows of the Amicus Plus smokeless cigar bar longingly, hovering over that “subscribe to Slate Plus” button.

From Slate ● Oct. 3, 2026

All the clothes you see, he steamed up.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

Xu, whose mother died when he was a year old, recalled in a speech how he ate only sweet potato and steamed bread in his school years.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

A hulking tanker known as the Plata Carrier steamed out of the Strait of Hormuz last week carrying 2 million barrels of crude.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

He opened a world where a tropical rain forest steamed and dripped, and where vapors laden with heavy scent drifted out into the thin mountain air.

From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman

The meat, cured at Burbank’s RC Provisions with a proprietary recipe developed by Al Langer, still gets a lengthy — and costly — steaming after it arrives at the restaurant.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026

The outages which have sometimes lasted 12 to 48 hours have plunged those living in the deeply impoverished country into steaming darkness at night.

From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026

At the Times Square location at noon on a steaming Wednesday in August, I got a taste of just how intense the fandom has become.

From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026

Leaning over a steaming pile of waste in his Iowa backyard, Travis Roggatz felt a snap.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

The San runs fast beneath my feet, white froth on top of its waves, and the air smells like hot truck exhaust and steaming rain.

From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron