Meaning & use
get steamy
Last updated
Meanings
phraseintransitiveinformal
To become sexually passionate or romantic, especially in a way that is shown openly or described in a story.
Grammar: Used without an object; often followed by 'with someone' to name the other person.
Patterns
- get steamy with someone
- things get steamy
In the second half of the film, the two main characters get steamy in a hotel room.
Fans of the show were shocked when the rival coworkers got steamy at the office party.
The novel is mostly quiet, but a few scenes get steamy near the end.
phraseintransitive
To become full of hot mist or vapor, as a room or window does.
Grammar: No object is needed; the subject is usually a place or surface such as a bathroom, kitchen, or mirror.
Patterns
- get steamy in the bathroom
- the windows get steamy
The kitchen gets steamy when you boil a big pot of pasta.
After his long shower, the bathroom mirror got steamy and he could not see his face.
Open a window or the car will get steamy inside.
Word forms
| third person singular | gets steamy |
|---|---|
| past tense | got steamy |
| past participle | gotten steamy |
| -ing form | getting steamy |
Common combinations
- get steamy with someone
- The plot slows down before the leads get steamy with each other.
- things get steamy
- Things get steamy about halfway through the episode.
- get steamy in the shower
- The whole room gets steamy in the shower, so leave the door open.
- get steamy on screen
- The actors get steamy on screen but say little to each other.
- get steamy windows
- On cold mornings the car gets steamy windows.
Synonyms and how they differ
- get hot
- More general and can describe heat or strong attraction, so it is less clearly about sex than 'get steamy'.
- get romantic
- Focuses on tender feelings rather than physical passion, so it is milder and safer in polite company.
- get passionate
- Sounds more intense and serious, while 'get steamy' is often playful or suggestive.
Opposites
Word family
- steamy adjective
- Full of mist, or sexually exciting; the base adjective behind the phrase.
- steam noun
- The hot vapor that makes a room steamy.
- steaminess noun
- The quality of being steamy, either literally or in a sexual sense.
- steam up phrasal verb
- To become covered with mist, as glass does; close in meaning to the literal sense.
Commonly confused: get steamy or get steamed? get steamy or steamy vs. steamy?
get steamy vs get steamed
'Get steamed' means to become angry, or to be cooked with steam, not to become passionate or misty.
get steamy vs steamy vs. steamy
Learners sometimes confuse the literal mist sense with the sexual sense; context such as 'bathroom' or 'with someone' makes the meaning clear.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'get steamy' in its literal sense?
Choose one answer.
'Gets steamy' with a place like a bathroom describes hot mist, the literal sense. The other options all describe sexual or romantic passion, which is the informal figurative sense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “get steamy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.