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
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That’s because of a dynamic called the Jevons Paradox, named after English economist William Jevons, who in 1865 noticed that efficiency breakthroughs in steam engine design did not reduce coal consumption at all, but instead caused demand for the fuel to surge. Christopher Helman, Forbes, 8 Feb. 2025 The company also built a well and a water tower alongside the railroad tracks where steam engine locomotives could stop and fill up. John Carlisle, Detroit Free Press, 13 Jan. 2025 In 1979, Allcroft met Awdry while making a documentary about British steam engines. Glenn Garner, Deadline, 3 Jan. 2025 At first glance, the equation Shannon came up with has nothing to do with steam engines. Zack Savitsky, Quanta Magazine, 13 Dec. 2024 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

Dictionary Entries Near steam engine

Cite this Entry

“Steam engine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/steam%20engine. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

steam engine

noun
: an engine driven by steam

More from Merriam-Webster on steam engine

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