steamship

[ steem-ship ]

noun

1. a large commercial vessel, especially one driven by steam.

steamship

/ ˈstiːmˌʃɪp /

noun

1. a ship powered by one or more steam engines

Word History and Origins

Origin of steamship¹

First recorded in 1780–90; steam + ship ¹

Example Sentences

From 1815 to 1914, London presided over an expanding global system marked by industry, capital exports and colonial conquests, all spurred by the integration of the planet via railroad, steamship, telegraph and ultimately radio.

From Salon

In December 1914, monster seas shoved a steamship carrying a cargo of Christmas toys into the pier, slicing both pier and oil pipeline in half.

From Los Angeles Times

More recently, Tang says, steamships and improved housing—heating and plumbing create the warm, moist conditions cockroaches love—enabled the itinerant insects to spread around the globe.

From Science Magazine

On July 9, 1868, the steamship Milwaukee was crossing Lake Michigan on its way to the lakefront town of Muskegon, Mich., to pick up a load of lumber when disaster struck.

From New York Times

To many, landline phones have come to seem as essential as steamships and telegrams in the smartphone era.

From New York Times