steam engine

noun

: an engine driven or worked by steam
specifically : a reciprocating engine having a piston driven in a closed cylinder by steam

Examples of steam engine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Industrial Revolution And Electricity The Industrial Revolution marked a resurgence in the importance of copper, with its superior electrical and thermal conductivity invaluable for steam engines, textile machinery and other industrial equipment. Ed MacHa, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025 On a more mundane level, people in many places were hiding fire away in closed stoves, steam engines, and furnaces. Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 2 Mar. 2025 But unlike steam engines, AI raises complex questions about decision-making, privacy, and the future of human work itself. Aliza Knox, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025 The current $6 million transformation is focused on the pumphouse, where huge steam engines once pushed along the city’s water supply system. Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 8 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for steam engine

Word History

First Known Use

1751, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of steam engine was in 1751

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Cite this Entry

“Steam engine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/steam%20engine. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

steam engine

noun
: an engine driven by steam

More from Merriam-Webster on steam engine

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