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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The rapid development of AI, which now dominates so much public discussion, will surely be as transformative as the development of the steam engine or electrical power in earlier times. Jed Perl, The New York Review of Books, 25 Apr. 2026 Think Robert Fulton’s steam engine. Michael Kilian, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026 Cunningham’s Fisher-Price pianos and decrepit drums are unmistakable, as is Ciani’s Buchla, which whooshes and rattles like a steam engine barreling down the tracks. Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 9 Apr. 2026 Landmark inventions like the printing press, steam engine, telephone, incandescent light bulb, and airplane heralded new stages of progress in technology and spurred further innovation. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026 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 26 Apr. 2026.

Kids Definition

steam engine

noun
: an engine driven by steam

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