steam ship

Meaning

1. 1nouncountableold-fashioned

   a large boat that is powered by steam engines, especially one used in the past for travel or trade

   Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a steamship' or 'two steamships'. Often written as one word.

   Patterns

   • a steam ship
   • by steam ship
   • on a steam ship

   In the 1800s, steam ships carried passengers across the Atlantic.

   The museum has a model of an old steam ship.

   They traveled to the island by steam ship.

Word forms

Common combinations

steam ship engine

The steam ship engine was powered by burning coal.

steam ship company

The steam ship company offered regular trips to Europe.

travel by steam ship

Before airplanes, many people traveled by steam ship.

a fleet of steam ships

The navy had a fleet of steam ships in the 1890s.

Synonyms and how they differ

steamer

A more common and shorter word for a steam-powered ship, often used in everyday speech.

steamboat

Usually refers to a smaller steam-powered boat used on rivers, not on the open sea.

Word family

steamship noun

The same as 'steam ship', but written as one word.

steam noun

The hot gas that water becomes when boiled, used to power engines.

ship noun

A large boat that carries people or goods on water.

Commonly confused: steam ship or sail ship?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “steam ship”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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