Definition of "steam"

steam

/stiːm/

noun
usually uncountable, plural steams
1. The vapor formed when water changes from the liquid phase to the gas phase.
2. The suspended condensate (cloud) formed by water vapour when it encounters colder air
  1. mist, fog
  2. Exhaled breath into cold air below the dew point of the exhalation
3. Pressurized water vapour used for heating, cooking, or to provide mechanical energy.
4. The act of cooking by steaming.
5. (figuratively) Internal energy for progress or motive power.
  Quotations
  Them that puts the most steam into it will get a finnuf slipped to 'em.
  1927, Irvin Shrewsbury Cobb, Ladies and Gentlemen, page 129
6. (figuratively) Pent-up anger.
7. A steam-powered vehicle.
8. Travel by means of a steam-powered vehicle.
9. (obsolete) Any exhalation.
  Quotations
  a steam of rich, distilled perfumes
  1634 October 9 (first performance), [John Milton], edited by H[enry] Lawes, A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634: […], London: […] [Augustine Matthews] for Hvmphrey Robinson, […], published 1637; reprinted as Comus: […] (Dodd, Mead & Company’s Facsimile Reprints of Rare Books; Literature Series; no. I), New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1903,
10. (fencing) Fencing without the use of any electric equipment.
verb
third-person singular simple present steams, present participle steaming, simple past and past participle steamed
1. (transitive, cooking) To cook with steam.
2. (transitive) To expose to the action of steam; to apply steam to for softening, dressing, or preparing.
3. (transitive) To raise steam, e.g. in a steam locomotive.
  Quotations
  "We will give 198 a full exam. Then steam her, and operate her for the rest of the season.
  2023 July 12, Paul Clifton, “Network News: Saved: Trust protects Adrian Shooter's legacy”, in RAIL, number 987, page 28
4. (intransitive) To produce or vent steam.
  Quotations
  See, ſee, my Brother's Ghoſt hangs hovering there, / O're his warm Blood, that ſteems into the Air, / Revenge, Revenge it cries.
  1665, John Dryden, The Indian Emperour […]‎, London: Printed by J.M. for H. Herringman, published 1667, Act III, scene iii, page 36
  I found that the Chapelon steamed almost too freely, because on a strange locomotive and road one usually tends to overfire a little through a natural lack of confidence.
  1961 February, 'Balmore', “Driving and firing modern French steam locomotives - Part One”, in Trains Illustrated, page 110
5. (intransitive) To rise in vapour; to issue, or pass off, as vapour.
  Quotations
  [T]he diſſolved Amber vvas plainly diſcernable ſvvimming like a thin film upon the ſurface of the Liquor, vvhence little by little it ſteamed avvay into the air.
  1661, Robert Boyle, “[Two Essays, Concerning the Unsuccessfulness of Experiments, Containing Divers Admonitions and Observations (Chiefly Chymical) Touching that Subject.] The First Essay, of the Unsuccessfulness of Experiments.”, in Certain Physiological Essays and Other Tracts; […], 2nd edition, London: […] Henry Herringman […], published 1669, page 66
6. (intransitive, figuratively) To become angry; to fume; to be incensed.
7. (transitive, figuratively) To make angry.
8. (transitive) To cover with condensed water vapor.
  Quotations
  A strong sirocco was blowing the spray from the waves as far as the little café, whose glass doors were shut. The café reeked of brewing sage and human beings whose breath steamed the windows because of the cold outside.
  1952, Nikos Kazantzakis, chapter 1, in Carl Wildman, transl., Zorba the Greek, New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster, translation of Βίος και πολιτεία του Αλέξη Ζορμπά [Víos kai politeía tou Aléxi Zormpá], page 3
9. (intransitive) To travel by means of steam power.
  Quotations
  We steamed easily across the first part of the Tay Bridge, and then after passing over the long spans in mid-stream we coasted smoothly down the 1 in 114 gradient, and around the sweeping curve through Esplanade Station.
  1947 January and February, O. S. Nock, “"The Aberdonian" in Wartime”, in Railway Magazine, page 7
10. (figuratively or literally) To move with great or excessive purposefulness.
  Quotations
  That was the hard work largely done as the Ivorian waited for Malouda to steam into the box before releasing a simple crossed pass which the Frenchman side-footed home with aplomb.
  2010 December 29, Chris Whyatt, “Chelsea 1 - 0 Bolton”, in BBC‎
11. (obsolete) To exhale.
  Quotations
  like inward fire that outward smoke had steemd
  1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto I”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie
adjective
not comparable
1. Old-fashioned; from before the digital age.
  Quotations
  Tom Earle, a CBC radio veteran now compiling audio archives in Ottawa, used to refer to the medium in which he worked as "steam radio"
  1989 December 30, “Despite the era's technological marvels, 'wireless' is still magic”, in Toronto Star
  Unlike the Web, old-fashioned steam television must be viewed in sequence in order to pick out those rare bits of useful information.
  2000 January 10, Bill Pannifer, “Sore eyes”, in The Independent
  In the old days of steam journalism, after cleft sticks had been phased out but before the advent of e-mail, there used to be a fairly sure-fire way of getting your story to the news desk.
  2002 September 5, Alex Kirby, “Summit diary: Aftermath”, in BBC News
  Fox has been at Capital since 1988, where he lurks a little in the shadow of Chris Tarrant, the radio station's monolithic star who has helmed the plum breakfast show slot since the steam radio dawn of time.
  2004 April 2, “'I'ma player. It's time to move on'”, in Telegraph.co.uk

Definition of "steam"

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noun

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verb

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adjective

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