"gather steam" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "gathers steam",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "gathering steam",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "gathered steam",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "gathered steam",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "gather steam (third-person singular simple present gathers steam, present participle gathering steam, simple past and past participle gathered steam)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2022 October 23, Pamela Paul, “Let’s Say Gay”, in The New York Times",
          "text": "He went on, “Like the term ‘Latinx,’ ‘queer’ was started by some humanities professor and slowly gathered steam. Then well-meaning radio producers and magazine editors thought, ‘Well, I guess that’s what they want to be called now!’ But I don’t remember any vote being taken.”",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To increase in strength, popularity, or energy."
      ],
      "id": "en-gather_steam-en-verb-nTnMbZ5o",
      "links": [
        [
          "increase",
          "increase"
        ],
        [
          "strength",
          "strength"
        ],
        [
          "popularity",
          "popularity"
        ],
        [
          "energy",
          "energy"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive, informal) To increase in strength, popularity, or energy."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "gain steam"
        },
        {
          "word": "pick up steam"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal",
        "intransitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "gather steam"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "gathers steam",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "gathering steam",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "gathered steam",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "gathered steam",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "gather steam (third-person singular simple present gathers steam, present participle gathering steam, simple past and past participle gathered steam)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English informal terms",
        "English intransitive verbs",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2022 October 23, Pamela Paul, “Let’s Say Gay”, in The New York Times",
          "text": "He went on, “Like the term ‘Latinx,’ ‘queer’ was started by some humanities professor and slowly gathered steam. Then well-meaning radio producers and magazine editors thought, ‘Well, I guess that’s what they want to be called now!’ But I don’t remember any vote being taken.”",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To increase in strength, popularity, or energy."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "increase",
          "increase"
        ],
        [
          "strength",
          "strength"
        ],
        [
          "popularity",
          "popularity"
        ],
        [
          "energy",
          "energy"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(intransitive, informal) To increase in strength, popularity, or energy."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "gain steam"
        },
        {
          "word": "pick up steam"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal",
        "intransitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "gather steam"
}