steamnoun [ U ]
uk/stiːm/us/stiːm/B2 the hot gas that is produced when water boils:
Steam rose from the simmering stew.
steam turbines
a steam engine/locomotive
the age of steam (= the period when steam provided power for railways and factories)
The pump is driven by steam.
More examples
- If water is heated to 100°C it turns to steam.
- The steam from the kettle misted up her glasses.
- The horses came to a halt, steam streaming from their nostrils.
- The shower room was full of steam.
- My new wallpaper stripper uses high-pressure steam to lift off the paper.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Precipitation: clouds, dew, fog & steam
- altocumulus
- billow
- cloudy
- condensation
- cumulonimbus
- dewdrop
- fog
- fog up
- hazy
- miasma
- mist
- pea soup
- smog
- steamy
- stratocumulus
- stratus
- thundercloud
- vapour trail
- visibility
- whiteout
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Idiom(s)
run out of steam
get/pick up steam
let/blow off steam
under your own steam
steamverb
uk/stiːm/us/stiːm/[ I ] to move by steam power:
The train/ship steamed out of the station/harbour.
[ T ] to cook food using steam:
steamed vegetables
[ T usually + adv/prep ] to use steam to make something softer, especially glue so that something can be removed:
Ross steamed open the envelope to see if it was a love letter.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Travelling
- backpacking
- bum around (somewhere)
- catch
- coach
- connect
- cover
- cruise
- destination
- gad about/around (somewhere)
- gallivant
- have sth, will travel idiom
- override
- ply
- road
- roam
- tootle
- tourist class
- travel
- travelled
- well travelled
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Preparing food using heat
Unfastening and opening
Phrasal verb(s)
steam (sth) up