steam
/stiːm
/noun [mass noun]
1The vapour into which water is converted when heated, forming a white mist of minute water droplets in the air: a cloud of steam steam was rising from the mugs of coffee she wiped the steam off the mirror...
- He came out of the bathroom a few minutes after trailing steam and heated droplets of water.
- Matt moved to the front of the car and picked up the hood to unleash another huge cloud of white steam.
- Without warning a cloud of white steam poured forth from the rock wall in front of her, and she lost her footing momentarily.
Synonyms
water vapour, condensation, mist, haze, fog, exhalation, moisture, dampness
rare fume, smoke
1.1The invisible gaseous form of water, formed by boiling, from which this vapour condenses.For example, when you boil water, it takes the gaseous form of steam, but this gas doesn't react with oxygen in the air....
- Touted by some as water's purest form, distilled water is produced by condensing steam from boiled water back into its liquid state.
- This signals something called a phase transition, like when steam cools and condenses into water.
1.2The expansive force of steam used as a source of power for machines: the equipment was originally powered by steam [as modifier]: a steam locomotive...
- Murrays' Mills in Ancoats are 200 years old and were among the first buildings in the world to use steam to power machines.
- With the arrival of steam as a power source, doctors could treat hysteria in the office using new devices developed for this purpose.
- They can be cut and burnt to produce steam to power turbines.
1.3Locomotives and railway systems powered by steam: we were trainspotters in the last years of steam...
- For generations, its very name has conjured up the glory days of Britain's railways when steam was king and every town had a station.
1.4Energy and momentum or impetus: the anti-corruption drive gathered steam...
- One of their big players got up a head of steam and charged at me.
- Hence I hit the mike with a full head of steam, overcharged and full of momentum.
- As it gathered steam, I was greatly impressed with several moments, but a corny line or an awkward coincidence was always around the bend.
Synonyms
energy, vigour, vigorousness, vitality, stamina, enthusiasm;
momentum, impetus, power, force, strength, thrust, impulse, push, drive, driving power;
speed, pace, velocity
verb
1 [no object] Give off or produce steam: a mug of coffee was steaming at her elbow...
- As I type, an angry thunderstorm is rolling across the skies and the rain is lashing down onto the scorched pavements; now gently steaming.
- As my train arrived, the monsoon abruptly stopped, the sun came out, leaving me gently steaming on platform five at Reading.
- You'll get delicate, herb-infused fish steamed gently in their own juices.
1.1 (steam up or steam something up) Become or cause something to become covered or misted over with steam: [no object]: the glass keeps steaming up [with object]: the warm air had begun to steam up the windows...
- The windows were steamed up and Mr Palmer was inside.
- The windows are steamed up, streaming the condensed exhaled breath of all and sundry, including the alcoholic who's presently drooling on your new coat.
- We would neck in the car until the windows were steamed up with our passion.
Synonyms
mist (up), fog (up), become misty/misted, become covered with condensation
2 [with object] Cook (food) by heating it in steam from boiling water: steam the vegetables until just tender...
- Remove the plastic wrap and steam the bread until cooked.
- Place the dumplings on the prepared steaming rack and steam the dumplings until the skins are soft, about 15 minutes.
- Just brown the pasta in oil first, add broth and cook until the pasta is tender, then steam some seafood quickly on top.
2.1 [no object] (Of food) cook by heating in steam: leave the mussels to steam...
- There is not a human being in sight but food still steams on a cooker inviting the hungry parents with its aromas.
- With the flavours intensifying as the food simultaneously steams and roasts, and no juices lost or boiled away, the end result is bags of flavour (sorry).
- Yellow rice wine, pork meat steamed on lotus leaves, eight ingredients cake and zongzi are the specialities of Xitang and you can taste them in all the restaurants in the town.
2.2Clean or otherwise treat with steam: he steamed his shirts to remove the odour...
- It may help to steam clean carpeting at least once a year.
- My ex-brother-in-law worked in a western wear store and had his hats cleaned and creased by a fellow who steamed the headgear and shaped the brim along the curves of his own beer belly.
- We put in new mahogany faces on the bar counters, re-varnished the tables, steam cleaned the carpets, had the chairs recovered and put in new curtains.
2.3 [with object and complement or adverbial] Apply steam to (something fixed with adhesive) so as to open or loosen it: he’d steamed the letter open and then resealed it...
- You can get to know them even better if you steam the letters open first.
- He went to the kitchen and boiled water, then took the letter and steamed the envelope open so as not to damage it.
- Carefully, in case she found that she needed to reseal it, she steamed the envelope open and peeled away the fold.
3 [no object, with adverbial of direction] (Of a ship or train) travel somewhere under steam power: the 11.54 steamed into the station...
- The ship held two memorial services, one at dawn in Seychelles harbour and one at sunset as the ship steamed on the journey home from distinguished service in Operations Slipper and Falconer.
- Families and guests enjoyed the views of Sydney harbour and coastline as the ship steamed for Broken Bay, positioning at the starting line off Barrenjoey Head.
- During almost ten years in commission, the ship has steamed nearly 110,000 miles and visited 81 ports in 14 countries.
3.1 informal Come, go, or move somewhere rapidly or in a forceful way: Jeremy steamed in ten minutes late figurative the company has steamed ahead with its investment programme...
- Moves are steaming ahead to honour an Atherton-born boffin whose vision of a high speed hovertrain was dismissed.
- It is an approach that gains steam as the movie moves forward and gives the film's climax a powerful sense of the inevitable.
- But having been here for a considerable length of time, it has struck me that as Shanghai steams ahead in the new millennium, it still remains inextricably linked with its near-forgotten past.
3.2 [no object] (steam in) British informal Start or join a fight: he’ll be the one to throw the first punch, then run to the back when the others steam in
3.3 [no object] (often as noun steaming) informal (Of a gang of thieves) move rapidly through a public place, stealing things or robbing people on the way: steaming is not restricted to tube trains
4 [no object] (often be/get steamed up) informal Be or become extremely agitated or angry: you got all steamed up over nothing! after steaming behind the closed door in his office, he came out and screamed at her
Synonyms
become agitated, get worked up, get overwrought, get flustered, panic, become panic-stricken
informal get het up, get into a state, get into a tizzy, get uptight, get into a stew, get the willies, get the heebie-jeebies, go into a flat spin
British informal have kittens, have an attack of the wobblies
become very angry, become enraged, go into a rage, lose one's temper
informal go/get mad, go crazy, go wild, see red, go bananas, hit the roof, go through the roof, go up the wall, go off the deep end, fly off the handle, blow one's top, blow a fuse/gasket, lose one's rag, go ape, flip, flip one's lid, go non-linear, go ballistic, go psycho
British informal go crackers, go spare, do one's nut
North American informal flip one's wig, blow one's lid/stack
vulgar slang go apeshit
5 [with object] Generate steam in and operate (a steam locomotive): you can learn the intricacies of steaming a locomotive for the first time...
- Myth and symbol, however, attach less readily to an elemental melange: it is an iron horse that steamed its way across the American plain, the iron fist that represents a display of might.
Phrases
get up (or pick up) steam
have steam coming out of one's ears
in steam
let (or blow) off steam
run out of steam
under one's own steam
under steam
Origin
Old English stēam 'vapour', stēman 'emit a scent, be exhaled', of Germanic origin; related to Dutch stoom 'steam'.
In Old English steam was any kind of hot vapour or gas, and did not settle into the modern meaning until the 15th century. The phrase let off steam, meaning ‘to get rid of pent-up energy or strong emotion’, originated in the context of steam engines in the early 19th century. The literal meaning is ‘to release excess steam from a steam engine through a valve’, vital in preventing the engine from blowing up. The meaning which is familiar today arose in the 1830s in the alternative version blow off steam. There is a related image in have steam coming out of your ears, meaning ‘to be very angry’. Other phrases that recall the days of steam engines include get up (or pick up) steam, run out of steam, and under your own steam.