steam

noun

/stiːm/

[uncountable]Idioms

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the hot gas that water changes into when it boils
- Steam rose from the boiling kettle.
- a Turkish steam bath
Extra Examples
- Steam rose from her mug of cocoa.
- The hotel has a steam room.
- The saucepan puffed little jets of steam.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- hot
… of steam
- cloud
- jet
verb + steam
- generate
- produce
steam + verb
- come
- escape
- rise
- …
steam + noun
- power
- engine
- locomotive
- …
phrases
- the age of steam
See full entry
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the power that is produced from steam under pressure, used to operate engines, machines, etc.
- the introduction of steam in the 18th century
- steam power
- the steam age
- a steam train/engine
- The engine is driven by steam.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- hot
… of steam
- cloud
- jet
verb + steam
- generate
- produce
steam + verb
- come
- escape
- rise
- …
steam + noun
- power
- engine
- locomotive
- …
phrases
- the age of steam
See full entry
very small drops of water that form in the air or on cold surfaces when warm air suddenly cools synonym condensation
- She wiped the steam from her glasses.

Word OriginOld English stēam ‘vapour’, stēman ‘emit a scent, be exhaled’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch stoom ‘steam’.

Idioms

blow/let off steam

(informal) to get rid of your energy, anger or strong emotions by doing something active or noisy
- I went for a long walk to let off steam.
- I like blowing off steam and I like saying things that shock people.

full speed/steam ahead | (at) full steam

with as much speed or energy as possible
- Business picked up at the beginning of the year and now it is full steam ahead.
- The team is working full steam on the next release.
- All of the major players are operating at full steam.

get, etc. somewhere under your own steam

(informal) to go somewhere without help from other people
- I’ll get to the party under my own steam.

get up/pick up steam

(informal) to become gradually more powerful, active, etc.
- His election campaign is beginning to get up steam.
(of a vehicle) to increase speed gradually

run out of steam

(informal) to lose energy and enthusiasm and stop doing something, or do it less well

steam

verb

/stiːm/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they steam	/stiːm/ /stiːm/
he / she / it steams	/stiːmz/ /stiːmz/
past simple steamed	/stiːmd/ /stiːmd/
past participle steamed	/stiːmd/ /stiːmd/
-ing form steaming	/ˈstiːmɪŋ/ /ˈstiːmɪŋ/

Idioms Phrasal Verbs

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[intransitive] to send out steam
- Our damp clothes steamed in the heat.
- a mug of steaming hot coffee
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[transitive, intransitive] steam (something) to place food over boiling water so that it cooks in the steam; to be cooked in this way
- steamed fish
Collocations Cooking
CookingPreparing
- prepare a dish/a meal/a menu/dinner/the fish
- weigh out 100g/4oz of sugar/the ingredients
- wash/rinse the lettuce/spinach/watercress
- chop/slice/dice the carrots/onions/potatoes
- peel the carrots/onion/potatoes/garlic/orange
- grate a carrot/the cheese/some nutmeg
- remove/discard the bones/seeds/skin
- blend/combine/mix (together) the flour and water/all the ingredients
- beat/whisk the cream/eggs/egg whites
- knead/shape/roll (out) the dough
Cooking
- heat the oil in a frying pan
- preheat/heat the oven/(British English) the grill/(North American English) the broiler
- bring to (British English) the boil/(North American English) a boil
- stir constantly/gently with a wooden spoon
- reduce the heat
- simmer gently for 20 minutes/until reduced by half
- melt the butter/chocolate/cheese/sugar
- brown the meat for 8–20 minutes
- drain the pasta/the water from the pot/in a colander
- mash the potatoes/banana/avocado
Ways of cooking
- cook food/fish/meat/rice/pasta/a Persian dish
- bake (a loaf of) bread/a cake/(especially North American English) cookies/(British English) biscuits/a pie/potatoes/fish/scones/muffins
- boil cabbage/potatoes/an egg/water
- fry/deep-fry/stir-fry the chicken/vegetables
- grill meat/steak/chicken/sausages/a hot dog
- roast potatoes/peppers/meat/chicken/lamb
- sauté garlic/mushrooms/onions/potatoes/vegetables
- steam rice/vegetables/spinach/asparagus/dumplings
- toast bread/nuts
- microwave food/popcorn/(British English) a ready meal
Serving
- serve in a glass/on a bed of rice/with potatoes
- arrange the slices on a plate/in a layer
- carve the meat/lamb/chicken/turkey
- dress/toss a salad
- dress with/drizzle with olive oil/vinaigrette
- top with a slice of lemon/a scoop of ice cream/whipped cream/syrup
- garnish with a sprig of parsley/fresh basil leaves/lemon wedges/a slice of lime/a twist of orange
- sprinkle with salt/sugar/herbs/parsley/freshly ground black pepper
Topics Cooking and eatingc1
[intransitive] + adv./prep. (of a boat, ship, etc.) to move using the power produced by steam
- The boat steamed across the lake.
[intransitive] + adv./prep. (especially of a person) to go somewhere very quickly
- He spotted her steaming down the corridor towards him.
- (figurative) The company is steaming ahead with its investment programme.

Word OriginOld English stēam ‘vapour’, stēman ‘emit a scent, be exhaled’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch stoom ‘steam’.

Idioms

be/get (all) steamed up (about/over something)

(North American English also be steamed (about something))

(informal) to be/become very angry or excited about something
- You’re getting all steamed up about nothing!
Topics Feelingsc2

STEAM

abbreviation

/stiːm/

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science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics
(used to refer to these subjects as a group in the context of education and jobs)
- As a teacher, I'm excited by my school's developing STEAM program.
compare STEM

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