Steam vs. Smoke — What's the Difference?

Steam is the gaseous form of water.

Smoke consists of airborne particles from combustion.

Steam arises from boiling water.

Smoke is a collection of airborne particulates and gases emitted when a material undergoes combustion or pyrolysis, together with the quantity of air that is entrained or otherwise mixed into the mass. It is commonly an unwanted by-product of fires (including stoves, candles, internal combustion engines, oil lamps, and fireplaces), but may also be used for pest control (fumigation), communication (smoke signals), defensive and offensive capabilities in the military (smoke screen), cooking, or smoking (tobacco, cannabis, etc.).

Steam is used in certain therapeutic settings.

A visible suspension of carbon or other particles in air, typically one emitted from a burning substance

Steam can be used to power engines.

An act of smoking tobacco

Steam is water in the gas phase. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization.

A big city, especially London

The vapour into which water is converted when heated, forming a white mist of minute water droplets in the air

Emit smoke or visible vapour

Give off or produce steam

Inhale and exhale the smoke of tobacco or a drug

Cook (food) by heating it in steam from boiling water

Treat, fumigate, or cleanse by exposure to smoke.

(of a ship or train) travel somewhere under steam power

Kill (someone) by shooting

Be or become extremely agitated or angry

Make fun of (someone)

Hot water vapor produced especially by boiling liquid water.

A mixture of gases and small suspended particles of soot or other solids, resulting from the burning of materials such as wood or coal.

Hot, pressurized water vapor used for heating, cooking, or to provide mechanical power.

A cloud of such gases and suspended particles.

Power generated by the expansion of boiling water as it turns to vapor

A vapor, mist, or fume that resembles this.

Steam heating.

Something insubstantial, unreal, or transitory

Condensed water vapor in the form of a mist or cloud

The act of smoking a form of tobacco

Power; energy

The duration of this act.

To produce or emit steam

(Informal) Tobacco in a form that can be smoked, especially a cigarette

To become or rise up as steam

A substance used in warfare to produce a smokescreen.

To become misted or covered with steam

Something used to conceal or obscure.

To move by means of steam power.

A pale to grayish blue to bluish or dark gray.

(Informal) To become very angry; fume.

(Baseball) Pitches thrown at high velocity; fast balls

To expose to steam, as in cooking.

To draw in and exhale smoke from a cigarette, cigar, or pipe

To cover or mist with steam

To engage in smoking regularly or habitually

(Informal) To make angry

To emit smoke or a smokelike substance

The vapor formed when water changes from the liquid phase to the gas phase.

To emit smoke excessively

The suspended condensate (cloud) formed by water vapour when it encounters colder air

To go or proceed at high speed.

, fog

To play or perform energetically

Exhaled breath into cold air below the dew point of the exhalation

To draw in and exhale the smoke of (tobacco, for example)

Pressurized water vapour used for heating, cooking, or to provide mechanical energy.

To do so regularly or habitually

The act of cooking by steaming.

To preserve (meat or fish) by exposure to the aromatic smoke of burning hardwood, usually after pickling in salt or brine.

(figuratively) Internal energy for motive power.

To fumigate (a house, for example).

(figuratively) Pent-up anger.

To expose (animals, especially insects) to smoke in order to immobilize or drive away.

A steam-powered vehicle.

To expose (glass) to smoke in order to darken or change its color.

Travel by means of a steam-powered vehicle.

To kill; murder.

(obsolete) Any exhalation.

To defeat decisively, as in a competition.

(fencing) Fencing without the use of any electric equipment.

(Baseball) To throw (a pitch) at high velocity.

To cook with steam.

(uncountable) The visible vapor/vapour, gases, and fine particles given off by burning or smoldering material.

(transitive) To expose to the action of steam; to apply steam to for softening, dressing, or preparing.

A cigarette.

(intransitive) To produce or vent steam.

Anything to smoke (e.g. cigarettes, marijuana, etc.)

(intransitive) To rise in vapour; to issue, or pass off, as vapour.

An instance of smoking a cigarette, cigar, etc.; the duration of this act.

To become angry; to fume; to be incensed.

A fleeting illusion; something insubstantial, evanescent, unreal, transitory, or without result.

To make angry.

Something used to obscure or conceal; an obscuring condition; see also smoke and mirrors.

(intransitive) To be covered with condensed water vapor.

(uncountable) A light grey colour/color tinted with blue.

(intransitive) To travel by means of steam power.

Bother; problems; hassle.

To move with great or excessive purposefulness.

A particulate of solid or liquid particles dispersed into the air on the battlefield to degrade enemy ground or for aerial observation. Smoke has many uses--screening smoke, signaling smoke, smoke curtain, smoke haze, and smoke deception. Thus it is an artificial aerosol.

(obsolete) To exhale.

A fastball.

Old-fashioned; from before the digital age.

(countable) A distinct column of smoke, such as indicating a burning area or fire.

The elastic, aëriform fluid into which water is converted when heated to the boiling point; water in the state of vapor.

(transitive) To inhale and exhale the smoke from a burning cigarette, cigar, pipe, etc.

The mist formed by condensed vapor; visible vapor; - so called in popular usage.

(intransitive) To inhale and exhale tobacco smoke.

Any exhalation.

(intransitive) To give off smoke.

To emit steam or vapor.

(intransitive) Of a fire in a fireplace: to emit smoke outward instead of up the chimney, owing to imperfect draught.

To rise in vapor; to issue, or pass off, as vapor.

(transitive) To preserve or prepare (food) for consumption by treating with smoke.

To move or travel by the agency of steam.

(transitive) To dry or medicate by smoke.

To generate steam; as, the boiler steams well.

To fill or scent with smoke; hence, to fill with incense; to perfume.

To exhale.

To make unclear or blurry.

To expose to the action of steam; to apply steam to for softening, dressing, or preparing; as, to steam wood; to steamcloth; to steam food, etc.

To perform (e.g. music) energetically or skillfully.

Water at boiling temperature diffused in the atmosphere

To beat someone at something.

Travel by means of steam power;

To kill, especially with a gun.

Emit steam;

To thrash; to beat.

Rise as vapor

To smell out; to hunt out; to find out; to detect.

Get very angry;

To ridicule to the face; to mock.

Clean by means of steaming;

To burn; to be kindled; to rage.

Cook something by letting steam pass over it;

To raise a dust or smoke by rapid motion.

Steam is a visible water vapor.

To suffer severely; to be punished.

To punish (a person) for a minor offense by excessive physical exercise.

(transitive) To cover (a key blank) with soot or carbon to aid in seeing the marks made by impressioning.

The visible exhalation, vapor, or substance that escapes, or expelled, from a burning body, especially from burning vegetable matter, as wood, coal, peat, or the like.

That which resembles smoke; a vapor; a mist.

Anything unsubstantial, as idle talk.

The act of smoking, esp. of smoking tobacco; as, to have a smoke.

To emit smoke; to throw off volatile matter in the form of vapor or exhalation; to reek.

Hence, to burn; to be kindled; to rage.

To raise a dust or smoke by rapid motion.

To draw into the mouth the smoke of tobacco burning in a pipe or in the form of a cigar, cigarette, etc.; to habitually use tobacco in this manner.

To suffer severely; to be punished.

To apply smoke to; to hang in smoke; to disinfect, to cure, etc., by smoke; as, to smoke or fumigate infected clothing; to smoke beef or hams for preservation.

To fill or scent with smoke; hence, to fill with incense; to perfume.

To smell out; to hunt out; to find out; to detect.

To ridicule to the face; to quiz.

To inhale and puff out the smoke of, as tobacco; to burn or use in smoking; as, to smoke a pipe or a cigar.

To subject to the operation of smoke, for the purpose of annoying or driving out; - often with out; as, to smoke a woodchuck out of his burrow.

A cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas

A hot vapor containing fine particles of carbon being produced by combustion;

An indication of some hidden activity;

Something with no concrete substance;

Tobacco leaves that have been made into a cylinder

Street names for marijuana

The act of smoking tobacco or other substances;

(baseball) a pitch thrown with maximum velocity;

Inhale and exhale smoke from cigarettes, cigars, pipes;

Emit a cloud of fine particles;

Smoke can indicate a fire.

Smoke contains a mix of gases and particles.

Inhaling smoke can be harmful.

Smoke's color and density can vary.

Smoke can carry toxins and particulates, which can be harmful when inhaled.

While steam is mostly harmless, it can cause burns if too hot.

While steam is produced by heating, it can cool and still remain in gaseous form temporarily.

Yes, the color of smoke can vary based on what's burning.

Steam in saunas can help open pores and promote sweating, offering therapeutic benefits.

The smoky flavor comes from foods being exposed to smoke, often from wood or charcoal.

Yes, steam can be more visible in cold weather as it condenses rapidly in the cold air.

Smoke is produced from the combustion or burning of materials.

While not all smoke is equally harmful, it's generally advised to avoid inhaling smoke.

Yes, steam can be used in cleaning, especially for disinfecting and removing grime.

Steam is the gaseous form of water, typically produced by boiling.

Yes, both steam and smoke can trigger certain types of fire alarms due to particle detection.

Yes, smoke is often used in cooking to impart a smoky flavor to foods, like in barbecuing.

A steam engine works by heating water to produce steam, which then drives a piston or turbine.

Cigarette smoke contains numerous toxins and carcinogens harmful to health.