From Middle English steem, stem, from Old English stēam, from Proto-Germanic *staumaz, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewh₂-.

• (RP) IPA: /stiːm/
• (America) IPA: /stim/

steam (uncountable)

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.

   Give the carrots a ten-minute steam.

5. (figuratively) Internal energy for progress or motive power.

   After three weeks in bed he was finally able to sit up under his own steam.

   • 1927, Irvin Shrewsbury Cobb, Ladies and Gentlemen, page 129:

     Them that puts the most steam into it will get a finnuf slipped to 'em.

6. (figuratively) Pent-up anger.

   Dad had to go outside to blow off some steam.

7. A steam-powered vehicle.
8. Travel by means of a steam-powered vehicle.
9. (obsolete) Any exhalation.
   • 1634 October 9 (first performance), [John Milton], edited by H[enry] Lawes, A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634: […] [Comus], London: […] [Augustine Matthews] for Hvmphrey Robinson, […], published 1637, →OCLC ↗; reprinted as Comus: […] (Dodd, Mead & Company’s Facsimile Reprints of Rare Books; Literature Series; no. I), New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1903, →OCLC ↗:

     a steam of rich, distilled perfumes

10. (fencing) Fencing without the use of any electric equipment.

• (a steam-powered vehicle) steamer

• (antonym(s) of “fencing”): electric

• French: vapeur d'eau, vapeur
• German: Wasserdampf, Dampf
• Italian: vapore
• Portuguese: vapor
• Russian: пар
• Spanish: vapor

• French: vapeur
• German: Dampf
• Portuguese: vapor
• Russian: пар

• German: Kraft, Energie
• Russian: эне́ргия

• Russian: гнев

• Russian: испаре́ние

steam (steams, present participle steaming; simple past and past participle steamed)

1. (transitive, cooking) To cook with steam.

   The best way to cook artichokes is to steam them.

2. (intransitive, literal, figurative) To be cooked with steam.

   The artichokes are steaming in the pot.

   I'm steaming in this coat.

3. (transitive) To expose to the action of steam; to apply steam to for softening, dressing, or preparing.

   to steam wood or cloth

4. (transitive) To raise steam, e.g. in a steam locomotive.
5. (intransitive) To produce or vent steam.
   • 1665 (first performance), John Dryden, The Indian Emperour, or, The Conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards. […], London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for H[enry] Herringman […], published 1667, →OCLC ↗, Act III, scene iii, page 36 ↗:

     See, ſee, my Brother's Ghoſt hangs hovering there, / O're his vvarm Blood, that ſteems into the Air, / Revenge, Revenge it cries.

6. (intransitive) To rise in vapour; to issue, or pass off, as vapour.

   Our breath steamed in the cold winter 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, →OCLC ↗, page 66 ↗:

     [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.

7. (intransitive, figuratively) To become angry; to fume; to be incensed.
8. (transitive, figuratively) To make angry.

   It really steams me to see her treat him like that.

9. (transitive) To cover with condensed water vapor.

   With all the heavy breathing going on the windows were quickly steamed in the car.

10. (intransitive) To travel by means of steam power.

    We steamed around the Mediterranean.

    The ship steamed out of the harbour.

11. (figuratively or literally) To move with great or excessive purposefulness.

    If he heard of anyone picking the fruit he would steam off and lecture them.

12. (obsolete) To exhale.
    • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto I”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC ↗:

      like inward fire that outward smoke had steemd

• See also Thesaurus:cook

• French: cuisiner
• German: dämpfen, dünsten
• Portuguese: cozer/cozinhar no vapor

steam (not comparable)

1. Old-fashioned; from before the digital age.

steam (uncountable)

1. Initialism of serial time-encoded amplified microscopy
2. Abbreviation of science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics

• STEM science, technology, engineering, mathematics
• STEMM science, technology, engineering, mathematics, medicine