Synonyms

beaming

American

[bee-ming] / ˈbi mɪŋ /

adjective

radiant; bright.
smiling brightly; cheerful.

Other Word Forms

beamingly adverb
unbeaming adjective

Etymology

Origin of beaming

First recorded in 1660–70; beam + -ing ²

Explanation

If an object is beaming, it's glowing with light, but if a person is beaming, they're more likely to be smiling brightly. Your car's beaming headlights or the beaming eyes of your cat, glowing in the dark, are bright and radiant. That's where the other meaning of beaming, cheerful and bright, comes from. A beaming smile glows and shines with true joy. Beaming comes from the verb beam, "emit rays of light."

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Vocabulary lists containing beaming

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Its logo evolved into a beaming cowboy with bright blue eyes in a wide-brimmed hat.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026

"You are my god," Sanae Takaichi, a hard rock enthusiast, told the band's drummer Ian Paice, beaming as she handed him a pair of signed Japanese-made drumsticks.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

Echostar is a data conglomerate External link that operates a fleet of satellites capable of beaming television and data from space, and operates its Boost Mobile wireless network down on Earth.

From Barron's • Mar. 23, 2026

Images taken of the couple show them both beaming from ear to ear, with Perry looking every inch the chart-topping icon in a figure-hugging red dress, while Trudeau donned an all-black suit.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 23, 2026

And I blinked in surprise, staring at the tiny profile picture beside these words, at the beaming, bronze-skinned, round-faced woman who missed me and was thinking of me.

From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023