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

For example, when steam engines made coal cheaper to burn, coal consumption exploded, a phenomenon known as Jevons' paradox, which Apollo's Torsten Slok and Chicago's Alex Imas were among the earliest to apply to AI and jobs. — Don Muir, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026

The steam engine, electricity, and the internet are just a few of the innovations that have increased productivity, created new industries and jobs, and changed the lives of millions of people. — Paschal Donohoe, Time, 8 July 2026

As a teenager, Fukuda spent his summer breaks teaching himself how to build things including transistor radios and steam engines. — IEEE Spectrum, 7 July 2026

Stardrum’s brushwork, sounding like a steam engine at low speed, keeps things from falling apart, but doesn’t put anything together, either. — Reed Jackson, SPIN, 3 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1751, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

steam engine

noun

: an engine driven by steam