abeam

American  

[uh-beem] / əˈbim /

adverb

1. Nautical, Aeronautics. at right angles to the fore-and-aft line.

   The vessel was sailing with the wind directly abeam.

2. directly abreast the middle of a ship's side.

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abeam British  

/ əˈbiːm /

adverb

1. (postpositive) at right angles to the length and directly opposite the centre of a vessel or aircraft

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Etymology

Origin of abeam

First recorded in 1830–40; a- ¹ + beam

Example Sentences

England and the Kingdom, Britain and the Empire, the old prides and the old devotions, glide abeam, astern, sink down upon the horizon, pass - pass.

From Literature

But when, last Sunday, the rain came, and a vessel carrying the London Philharmonic Orchestra with a drenched choir perched on top came abeam the queen’s moored royal barge near Tower Bridge, that changed.

From New York Times

With the wind abeam on the port side the "Golden Hind" opened out to one hundred and forty miles an hour.

From Project Gutenberg

It was the signal for the flotilla to form in line abeam.

From Project Gutenberg

She could have taken the blow of a colliding ship on bow, quarter or abeam and remained afloat, or even made her way to port.

From Scientific American