pick up steam
pick up steam — phrasal verb
- pick up steambase form
- picks up steam3rd person singular
- picking up steam-ing form
- picked up steampast simple
1. if an idea, product, or movement picks up steam, a growing number of people begi
if an idea, product, or movement picks up steam, a growing number of people begin to like or support it
The recycling campaign picked up steam after Élise shared it across her whole school.
subject is a campaign or movement gaining supporters
Sales of the new board game picked up steam after shoppers recommended it to friends.
The young chef's cooking videos slowly picked up steam among teenagers in Taiwan.
Imran's charity walk picked up steam when three local schools agreed to join in.
- catch on
informal; specifically about becoming fashionable or widely adopted
- take off
suggests a sudden, rapid rise in popularity or success
- gain popularity
more neutral, formal phrasing of the same idea
- fizzle out
to gradually lose interest and come to nothing
文法句型
[subject] + pick(s) up steam
用法筆記
Subject is usually an idea, trend, product, or campaign that spreads among people. Distinguish from sense 2, where the subject is a task or process speeding up rather than spreading.
常見錯誤
2. if a plan, project, or effort picks up steam, it gradually starts moving forward
if a plan, project, or effort picks up steam, it gradually starts moving forward more quickly and getting more done
After a slow first month, the bridge project finally picked up steam in the spring.
subject is a project or plan after a slow start
Gabriel's job search picked up steam once he rewrote his résumé and called contacts.
The team's fundraising picked up steam after the manager set clear weekly targets.
Repairs on the old library picked up steam once extra workers arrived from town.
- gather momentum
very close synonym; emphasises building speed and force
- gain traction
stresses an effort starting to make real, measurable progress
- gather pace
British-leaning; focuses on something happening more quickly
- lose steam
the direct opposite — to slow down and run out of energy
- grind to a halt
to stop making any progress at all
文法句型
[subject] + pick(s) up steam
用法筆記
Subject is usually a process, project, or effort; the phrase describes building momentum and progress, not popularity. Distinguish from sense 1 (GROW POPULAR).