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Synonyms

steamer

American  
[stee-mer] / ˈsti mər /

noun

  • steamers
    plural
  1. something propelled or operated by steam, as a steamship.

  2. a person or thing that steams.

  3. a device, pot, or container in which something is steamed.

  4. soft-shell clam.


verb (used without object)

  1. to travel by steamship.

steamer British  
/ ˈstiːmə /

noun

  1. a boat or ship driven by steam engines

  2. Also called: steam box. an apparatus for steaming wooden beams and planks to make them pliable for shipbuilding

  3. a vessel used to cook food by steam

  4. slang a clash of sporting teams characterized by rough play

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of steamer

First recorded in 1805–15; steam + -er 1


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

I got a steamer that I actually pull on over my mouth.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

Cheers to hotels that will deliver a professional-grade steamer to your room.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Synear Foods’ pork-and-mushroom shumai, sold at Costco and H Mart, can go straight from the freezer to the steamer and be served right in the basket.

From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026

These are foam or gel-filled toys of various brands shaped like bao buns, and sometimes sold in plastic replicas of bamboo steamer baskets.

From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026

She opens the steamer basket to check on the mandu.

From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon

Portable steamers are cheap and easy to use.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026

Thousands of schooners, or sailing ships, and hundreds of steamers hauled cargo and passengers between bustling port cities such as Chicago, Detroit and Cleveland.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 1, 2023

For the past 20 years she has instead worked maintaining electrical items, such as water purifiers and clothes steamers, in people's homes.

From BBC ● Dec. 14, 2022

Posters advertising the sales showed steamers merrily plying the imagined waters of the river.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2022

Milwaukee put three steamers and their crews onboard a train, leaving that city with only one working engine.

From "The Great Fire" by Jim Murphy

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