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 pivotal early locomotive—a travelling steam engine rather than one fixed to the ground—puffed through the Stockton and Darlington Railway’s Georgian landscape. Carlton Reid, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025 Up until 1985, this passage was home to steam engines that chugged along the Norfolk & Western Railway. Erin Gifford, Southern Living, 22 Mar. 2025 The arrival of steam engines in the 19th century changed that forever. David Nikel, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025 According to reports, crowds gathered to watch a special steam engine wrangle them into place. Randy Mason, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 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 21 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

steam engine

noun
: an engine driven by steam

More from Merriam-Webster on steam engine

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