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head of steam
noun phrase
: strong driving force : momentum
frequent rallies helped the movement develop a head of steam
Examples of head of steam in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
With defensive rim protectors pulled away from the hoop to defend the three, NBA players are taking advantage of having more room to operate by getting a head of steam and throwing it down.
—Lev Akabas, Sportico.com, 3 Sep. 2019
Afterwards, Henry explained that, after taking some time to gel, the Ravens offense is beginning to build up a head of steam.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 30 Sep. 2024
Guys aren’t getting a full head of steam coming down the field, taking shots on people.
—Sam Joseph, CNN, 2 Aug. 2024
Matthew Tkachuk got Florida on the board 1:53 later with a quick-release finish over Skinner after Evan Rodrigues stole the puck along the boards and fed it to Tkachuk with a head of steam low in the zone.
—Bailey Johnson, Washington Post, 19 June 2024
That does not allow players to gather the same head of steam for those tremendously violent collisions that occur with traditional kickoffs.
—Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2024
Messi ran onto the errant pass and was suddenly dribbling toward the goal with a full head of steam.
—Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2024
There is a head of steam behind doing this, particularly in the U.S.
—TIME, 21 Feb. 2024
Don’t go in looking for a legislative savior: The film’s parade of pro-police presidents, from Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon (who expressly used crime in his scare campaigns targeted at suburban whites) to Barack Obama and Joe Biden, is the movie’s most effective head of steam.
—Los Angeles Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
1838, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near head of steam
Cite this Entry
“Head of steam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/head%20of%20steam. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
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