What does steam mean?
Word: Steam
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Steam means the hot, misty cloud that rises from water when it boils.
Synonyms: vapour
How do you spell steam?
Syllables: steam
Tricky part: The long ee sound is written ea. Children often write steem.
Watch out for: steem, stiem, steme
Memory tip: Steam rises from a hot cup of tea, and steam spells its long ee sound with the ea of tea.
Idioms and Phrases
- let off steam: do something active to get rid of anger or extra energy Example: "After the test, we ran around the playground to let off steam."
Steam in a sentence
Example 1: Steam rose from the hot cup of chai.
Example 2: Mumma cooks momos in steam.
Example 3: The bathroom mirror was covered with steam after my bath.
Fun Fact
The first railway engines were moved by steam, made by burning coal to boil water.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Champ
Which of the words cannot be made using the letters in the given word? steam
a) seed
b) meat
c) team
d) mast
Show answer
a) seed. Count the letters of steam: one e and no d, which rules out seed.
Sound Check
Which of the following words does not rhyme with steam?
a) stem
b) theme
c) dream
d) cream
Show answer
a) stem. Stem looks close to steam but has a short e; cream, dream and theme all rhyme.
Word Fusion
Add the correct option to the word before the blank to make a new word:
The old steam_______ puffed smoke as it sailed down the river.
a) boat
b) coat
c) boot
d) bote
Show answer
a) boat. A steamboat is a boat driven by steam; boat is spelt with oa.
Spell Spies
Choose the pair which has a spelling error:
a) cloud : rane
b) kettle : steam
c) fire : smoke
d) sun : light
Show answer
a) cloud : rane. Rain is spelt with ai, so the cloud pair has the error.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these is cooked in steam?
a) puri
b) idli
c) papad
d) pakora
Show answer
b) idli
2. What happens to steam when it touches a cold mirror?
a) it becomes tiny ice cubes
b) it becomes grey smoke
c) it becomes water drops
d) it becomes dry dust
Show answer
c) it becomes water drops
