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

All Aglow: Light Lingo

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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.

"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

The big draw of space for data centers is power supply, with the option of synchronizing satellites to the sun's orbit to ensure constant light beaming onto solar panels.

From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026

Then Rubio looked back at his beaming master.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2026

The one that is furthest along, Galleri, was recently the subject of a provocative Super Bowl ad from the Hims & Hers telehealth company, beaming an experimental technology into millions of households.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 2, 2026

“Well, then, something a little more personal. I have it!” she said, beaming at Taran.

From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander

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