steam engine

American  

noun

1. an engine worked by steam, typically one in which a sliding piston in a cylinder is moved by the expansive action of the steam generated in a boiler.

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steam-engine British  

noun

1. an engine that uses the thermal energy of steam to produce mechanical work, esp one in which steam from a boiler is expanded in a cylinder to drive a reciprocating piston

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steam engine Scientific  

1. An engine in which the energy of hot steam is converted into mechanical power, especially an engine in which the force of expanding steam is used to drive one or more pistons. The source of the steam is typically external to the part of the machine that converts the steam energy into mechanical energy.

2. Compare internal-combustion engine

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Other Word Forms

• steam-engine adjective

Etymology

Origin of steam engine

First recorded in 1745–55

Example Sentences

The turkey drives to the capital ended when the steam engine and railways came along in the late 1800s.

From BBC

At first, this new field played a key role in the Industrial Revolution by explaining how heat could be converted efficiently into useful work, such as powering steam engines.

From Science Daily

The same tools developed to bore cannon barrels were then used to improve steam engines.

From The Wall Street Journal

Nearly 80% of Louisiana’s sugar mills relied on steam engines, making it the most heavily capitalized agricultural region.

From The Wall Street Journal

She screeched like the brakes of a Bloomer steam engine pulling into the station.

From Literature