under one's own steam
1
5.3
- idiom
:
por sus propios medios
- He managed to complete the long hike under his own steam despite the challenging terrain.
- walk under one's own steam
Examples
-
They arrived at the meeting under their own steam, having refused a ride from anyone else.
-
They'll crawl out under their own steam.
-
You're gonna have to get there under your own steam.
-
It looks like she's walking under her own steam.
Fiction book (2001) -
After the injury, she was determined to walk under her own steam without any assistance.
Synonyms
121
2.9
Without help from other people
57
4.1
Without help from other people
26
5.3
To do something without help from other people
1
5.9
Done personally by the person who made or wrote it
To do something without being asked or helped
Antonyms
How Independent
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase uses 'steam' metaphorically to mean one’s own power or energy rather than literal vapor, so a B1 learner who knows the individual words may not reliably infer the non-literal sense without prior exposure. However, components like 'under' + 'own' signal doing something by oneself, giving a clear clue to the general idea of acting without help, so the expression is only partially transparent.
Etymology
The idiom under one's own steam comes from the time of steam engines: when a train or ship moved by its own steam, it used its own engine instead of being towed. So now it means 'without help' or 'by your own effort'.