steam /stēm/

1. Water in the form of a gas or vapour, or of a mist or film of liquid drops
2. A steamed dish
3. Steam power
4. A spell of travel by steam power
5. Energy, force, spirit (informal)

1. Of, for, using or worked by steam
2. Outdated, old-fashioned, not using the latest technology (facetious)

1. To rise or pass off in steam or vapour
2. To emit or generate steam, vapour, or smell
3. To move by means of steam power
4. To move fast (informal)

1. To expose to steam, apply steam to
2. To cook by means of steam
3. To exhale (smoke from a pipe) (old slang)

steamed adjective

steamˈer noun

1. A steamship
2. A cooking apparatus for steaming food
3. One of a gang of muggers that attack by the method of steaming (slang)
4. A wetsuit (slang)
5. Stewed kangaroo flavoured with pork (Aust sl)

steamˈie noun (Scot)

A public laundry

steamˈily adverb

steamˈiness noun

steamˈing noun

1. The action or process of emitting, moving by, applying, or cooking by, steam
2. A form of mugging used by gangs, eg on the London Underground, who rush en masse through crowds, snatching whatever they can (slang)

1. In an advanced state of drunkenness
2. Very angry

steamˈy adjective

1. Of, like, full of, covered with, as if covered with, or emitting, steam or vapour
2. Erotic, sexy, lubricious (informal)

steam bath noun

A steam-filled compartment, eg one at a Turkish bath, etc in which to refresh oneself by sweating, etc, or one in a laboratory for sterilizing equipment

steamˈboat, steamˈship or steam vessel noun

A vessel driven by steam

steam boiler noun

A boiler for generating steam

steam car noun

A car propelled by steam

steam chest noun (engineering)

A chamber above a steam boiler serving as a reservoir for steam and in which the slide valve works

steam coal noun

Coal suitable for raising steam

steamˈ-drivˈen adjective

steam engine noun

Any engine worked by steam

steamer clam noun

A soft-shell clam

steamer duck noun

A large duck of S America whose swimming action is suggestive of the motion of a steamer with a paddle wheel on each side

steam gauge noun

A pressure gauge for steam

steam governor noun

The governor (qv) of a steam engine

steam hammer noun

A vertical hammer worked by steam

steamˈ-haul transitive verb and intransitive verb

To draw (a conveyance for goods, passengers, etc) along rails by means of chains, etc attached to a stationary steam engine

steaming lights plural noun (nautical)

Compulsory white navigation lights carried on the masts of all vessels at sea, indicating their presence (and course) at night

steam iron noun

An electric iron having a compartment in which water is heated to provide steam to dampen fabrics for easier ironing

steam jacket noun

A hollow casing formed around a steam engine cylinder and supplied with steam to prevent condensation of the steam in the main cylinder

steam launch noun

A large steam-driven boat

steam locomotive noun

A self-propelled steam engine and boiler mounted on a wheeled frame, such as a railway engine

steam navvy or steam shovel noun

An excavator driven by steam

steam organ noun

A calliope

steam packet noun

A steam vessel plying between certain ports

steam port noun

An opening from the valve-face to the cylinder of a steam engine for the passage of steam

steam power noun

The force or agency of steam when applied to machinery

steamˈpunk noun

A genre of science fiction set in an era of steam power, esp Victorian Britain, and usu featuring innovative inventions or alternative historie

steam radio noun (facetious)

Sound radio, considered old-fashioned in comparison with television

steamˈ-roller noun

1. A steam engine with heavy rollers for wheels, used in road-mending, etc
2. Any weighty crushing force (figurative)

transitive verb (informal)

1. To crush (objections, etc)
2. To force (eg legislation through parliament, etc)

steam room noun

A room filled with steam, for use as a steam bath

steamship see steamboat above.

steam shovel see steam navvy above.

steamˈtight adjective

Impervious to steam

steam trap noun

A contrivance for allowing the passage of water but not of steam

steam turbine noun

An engine in which expanding steam acts on blades attached to a drum

steam vessel see steamboat above.

steam whistle noun

A whistle sounded by the passage of steam

full steam ahead

1. Forward at the greatest speed possible
2. With maximum effort

get up steam

1. To build up steam pressure
2. To collect one's forces
3. To become excited

let off steam

1. To release steam into the atmosphere
2. To work off energy
3. To give vent to anger or annoyance

run out of steam (informal)

To be forced to stop through loss of impetus, strength or energy

steamed up (informal)

Indignant (see also steam up below)

• plainchants
• plain chocolate
• plain chocolates
• plainclothes
• plain cook
• plain-cook
• plain-cooked
• plain cookery
• plain-cooking
• plain cooks
• plain-cooks
• plain-darn
• plain-darned
• plain-darning
• plain-darns
• plain dealer
• plain dealers
• plain dealing
• plain-dealing
• plained
• plainer
• plainest
• plain flour
• plain flours
• plainful