steam engine
nounDefinition of steam engine
: 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
The ships, sheathed in iron, bristled with the latest Victorian-era technology—from steam engines to heated water and an early daguerreotype camera. — National Geographic, "In 1845 explorers sought the Northwest Passage—then vanished," 8 Aug. 2019 The economist William Stanley Jevons noticed in the 19th century that British coal consumption increased after James Watt invented a more efficient steam engine, because lower-cost power ended up being used more widely than ever before. — Washington Post, "Qantas Better Watch the Bloat as Fuel Costs Rise," 6 Aug. 2019 Earlier artists had tried and failed to capture the speed and rhythm of industrial energy: Turner’s steam engine is a blur, Van Gogh’s depressingly static. — K.n.c., The Economist, "The radical politics of futurists and fascists—and us, here, today," 19 July 2019 The note currently features James Watt, an inventor who developed the steam engine, and Matthew Boulton, the manufacturer who financed Watt’s engine. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "Alan Turing Will Be the New Face of Britain’s ÂŁ50 Note," 17 July 2019 An important center for sailing ships until steam engines came along, ancient Galaxidi was believed to have housed a temple to Apollo. — Liz Alderman, New York Times, "Voyage to the Center of the World," 9 July 2019 Which changed the world more, steam engines or computers, is debatable. — The Economist, "Alan Turing, a computing pioneer, will feature on Britain’s ÂŁ50 notes," 18 July 2019 But don’t miss the relics from the railroad’s (and mining’s) era scattered about, including, near Trout Lake, the one remaining trestle (of some 140); and a massive water tank once used to refill the steam engines. — Jeanine Barone, The Know, "Ride your bike on these Colorado railroad routes without fear of being run over by a train," 2 July 2019 More than 100 years after that, John Gorrie, a Florida doctor, used a small steam engine to cool air so that his patients suffering from tropical illnesses could be more comfortable. — Haleema Shah, Smithsonian, "The Unexpected History of the Air Conditioner," 24 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'steam engine.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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