English Reference
Adjective

steaming

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US /ˈstimɪŋ/ UK /stˈiːmɪŋ/ steam·ing

adj.extremely angry or very hot. You use this to describe someone who is so mad that they look like they might have steam coming out of their ears.

adj.experiencing or expressing intense anger; also used to describe something emitting water vapour due to high temperature. Often used predicatively after 'be' or 'get'.


SIMPLE

He was absolutely steaming after the meeting.

CONTEXTUAL

She was steaming when she found out that her flight had been cancelled without any prior notice.

COMPLEX

The manager was visibly steaming as he walked out of the press conference, refusing to answer any further questions about the team's recent performance.

Usage

Often modified by 'absolutely' or 'visibly' to emphasise the intensity of the emotion.

Steaming hot liquid can damage the cell lining on the way down to the stomach, experts say.

BBC News· 8 Sept 2026

By surface analysis, steam + -ing.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated