steamer

noun

steam·​er ˈstē-mər 

1

: a vessel in which articles are subjected to steam

2

a

: a ship propelled by steam

b

: an engine, machine, or vehicle operated or propelled by steam

3

: one that steams

4

: soft-shell clam

Examples of steamer in a Sentence

We rode a steamer down the Mississippi.

Recent Examples on the Web

Amazon’s early Black Friday deals include discounts on everything from luggage straps for 43 percent off to a travel steamer that’s 30 percent off. —Jasmine Gomez, Travel + Leisure, 15 Nov. 2025

By June 1861, the Confederates had pressed the Planter and its crew into service because [the steamer] could easily maneuver shallow intercoastal waterways, delivering supplies to bases along the coast. —Big Think, 13 Nov. 2025

Upon inspection, the crates revealed documents intercepted by Argentine customs in 1941, sent from the German Third Reich Embassy in Tokyo, Japan, to Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires, aboard the Japanese steamer Nan-a-Maru. —Solly Boussidan, FOXNews.com, 13 Nov. 2025

Black clothes can be freshened with a clothes steamer or fabric spray between wearings. —Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 8 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1802, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing steamer

• steamer rug
• steamer trunk

Rhymes for steamer

• beamer
• creamer
• dreamer
• femur
• lemur
• reamer
• schemer
• streamer
• redeemer

Kids Definition

steamer

noun

steam·​er ˈstē-mər 

1

: a container in which something is steamed

2

a

: a ship driven by steam

b

: an engine, machine, or vehicle run by steam