steaming

noun · adjective

Simple meaning

Operation under load.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

steeming

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US device voice

IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈstimɪŋ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

The action of steam on something.
The method of cooking by immersion in steam.
The raising of steam by a steam locomotive etc; the maintenance of a head of steam during operation; (metonymic) operation under load.
The act or process of seafaring under steam power.
ukinformal
A form of robbery in which a large gang moves swiftly and violently through a bus or train.

adjective

Extremely hot
Giving off steam.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty: B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
Frequency: Uncommon
Typical Use: Primarily written

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: The action of steam on something.

Used this way, steaming is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone: Neutral
Formality: Neutral
Intensity: Not strongly marked
How common: Moderately common
Connotation: Matter-of-fact
Usage feel: Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

steaming coffeesteaming watersteaming cupsteaming teasteaming bowlsteaming mugsteaming pottwo steaming

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

steamverbBase word
Travel by means of steam power.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

steamernounPerson or profession
A clam that is usually steamed in the shell.
steamshipnounDerived noun · specialist
A ship powered by one or more steam engines.

Related words

Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.

steamed puddingnounRelated term
A pudding cooked by steaming.
steam cleanverbRelated term
Clean by means of steaming.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.