From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsteamsteam1 /stiːm/ ●●○ W3 noun [uncountable] 1 gasD the hot mist that water produces when it is boiled Steam rose from the hot tub.2 mist on surfaceDWET the mist that forms on windows, mirrors etc when warm wet air suddenly becomes cold3 powerTPW power that is produced by boiling water to make steam, in order to make things work or move The engines are driven by steam.steam engine/train/hammer etc (=an engine etc that works by steam power)4 → let/blow off steam5 → get/pick/build up steam6 → run out of steam7 → under your own steam8 railwayTTT a railway system in which the trains use steam for power the age of steam → full steam ahead at full1(18)
Examples from the Corpus
steam• There was a smell in the air, hot metal, chemical steam.• Who else but Galwey should arrive full steam at his shoulder, outpacing even Simon Geoghegan in his hunger for the ball.• However, in midafternoon New York trading, the rally lost steam.• It was recreation hour, explained Brother Andrew with a smile, and the Brothers were letting off steam.• The water was just right, slid over his skin as he gave out a long low satisfied moan into the steam.steam engine/train/hammer etc• If one man invented a steam engine and another a railway, then the two could come together.• Read in studio Railway enthusiasts are queueing up for a nostalgic trip on a steam train.• Up to 20 caravans have parked close to the town's historic cathedral, and opposite the leisure centre and steam train station.• Gritty steam engines, not teeny chips, hauled the world into the information age.• The rate of consumption of energy was named after another James: Watt, of steam engine fame.• He installed his twelve horse-power steam engine at Portsmouth dockyard in 1798-9, the first to be used in a royal dockyard.• Coal for the mill's steam engine was carried up the steep hill on donkeys.• The immense surrogate slave power released by the steam engine ushered in the Industrial Revolution.steamsteam2 ●●○ verb 1 [intransitive]HOT if something steams, steam rises from it, especially because it is hot A pot was steaming on top of the cooker.2 [transitive]DFCCOOK to cook something in steam → boil Steam the vegetables lightly. steamed broccoli► see thesaurus at cook3 [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]TTWTRAVEL to travel somewhere in a boat or train that uses steam to produce powersteam into/from etc We steamed from port to port.4 [intransitive] especially British English to go somewhere very quicklysteam in/down Geoff steamed in, ten minutes late.5 → be steaming (mad) → steam ahead → steam something ↔ open/off → steam up→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
steam• The broccoli, peppers and squash should be steamed.• Dammit, these people get me steamed!• Aunt Margaret carried in an oblong, golden pie from the kitchen, steaming and savoury.• The 31,011-mile journey ended on August 17, when the ship steamed back into Norfolk.• I had no time to steam my Christmas pudding, so I poured boiling water over it and ate it like cake.• Black pots stood steaming on a pair of hobs.• Do you want me to steam the broccoli?• Steam the courgettes for 3-4 minutes.• The large plate-glass window of the riverside cafe was steamed up and trickles of condensation ran down the yellow-painted walls.• I could smell the burning oil steaming up from the motor.• Captain Morris, the mess officer, scowled at the garbage can of steaming water.steaming• a bowl of steaming hot soup• Later, we carried steaming hot water through the Buffalo snowdrifts to thaw our chickens' wafer bucket.• The memories crowded in around me as I sat with a nice cup of steaming hot water, writing in longhand.steam into/from etc• As it was, she steamed from Liverpool that night and was with John the following evening.• During the next four weeks we steamed from one port to another, unloading and loading a variety of cargoes.• The procession moved through the kitchen, through clouds of steam from several large metal vats of food.• In the end they used a locomotive which diverted the steam into tanks behind the engine by means of a ducted exhaust.• Clouds of steam from the dishwasher filled the room when the going got heavy.• From behind her came a spear of light that struck steam from the ground at her feet.• But already the 11.54 was steaming into the station, and Perks was looking in all the windows.• That's what they were: packets of steam from the Steam Packet Hotel.steam in/down• Jeremy Hoad offers advice for would-be postgraduates Postgraduates are about as easy to define as collecting steam in a bucket.• We were steaming in a circle for a reason.• After tense negotiations the idea of steaming in a circle was proposed.• Others have behavioural problems and need to let off steam in a safe and controlled setting.• But there is already a head of steam in parliament to make the proposed voluntary takeover code legally binding.• The idea of rewarding groups is also gaining steam in the bitter debate over merit pay for teachers.• The horses began to steam in the sunlit air.Origin steam1 Old English 