cantilever
Americannoun
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any rigid structural member projecting from a vertical support, especially one in which the projection is great in relation to the depth, so that the upper part is in tension and the lower part in compression.
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Building Trades, Civil Engineering. any rigid construction extending horizontally well beyond its vertical support, used as a structural element of a bridge cantilever bridge, building foundation, etc.
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Aeronautics. a form of wing construction in which no external bracing is used.
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Architecture. a bracket for supporting a balcony, cornice, etc.
verb (used without object)
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cantilevers,
present (3rd person singular)
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cantilevered,
past participle, past
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cantilevering
present participle
verb (used with object)
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cantilevers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
cantilevered,
past participle, past
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cantilevering
present participle
noun
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a beam, girder, or structural framework that is fixed at one end and is free at the other
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( as modifier )
a cantilever wing
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a wing or tailplane of an aircraft that has no external bracing or support
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a part of a beam or a structure projecting outwards beyond its support
verb
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(tr) to construct (a building member, beam, etc) so that it is fixed at one end only
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(intr) to project like a cantilever
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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cantileversimple
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cantileverssimple
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have cantileveredperfect
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has cantileveredperfect
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am cantileveringprogressive
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are cantileveringprogressive
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is cantileveringprogressive
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have been cantileveringperfect progressive
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has been cantileveringperfect progressive
Past
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cantileveredsimple
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had cantileveredperfect
-
was cantileveringprogressive
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were cantileveringprogressive
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had been cantileveringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of cantilever
Explanation
A cantilever is a girder or beam that supports a bridge or another large structure. Cantilevers are attached only at one end, like a rigid diving board. Structures that stick out sideways from a vertical support are cantilevers (hold your arm straight out from your body and it becomes a kind of cantilever). Engineers construct bridges using cantilevers, balancing them with counterweights or reinforcing them with girders and trusses. Cantilever bridges were originally called cantlapper bridges—from cant, or "slope," eventually combined with lever, from the Latin levare, "to raise."
Vocabulary lists containing cantilever
Built To Last: Architectural Parlance
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Civil Engineering
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Structural Engineering
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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.
See Examples For:
Giant cantilever cranes date from the beginning of the 20th Century, when Scotland led the world in shipbuilding and engineering.
From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2026
When the cantilever is placed on one of the nanoparticles, a current is passed through its tip to measure the conductivity.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 12, 2024
Columns sway back and forth, like a cantilever swing, creating ample space for large groups to walk through.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 18, 2023
“I would have to push up on my arm, straighten my knees and then cantilever up,” he continued.
From New York Times ● Oct. 30, 2022
Each of the first two of these traveling gantries used was equipped with a belt conveyor working on a cantilever arm, as shown by Figs.
From Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers, vol. LXVIII, Sept. 1910 The Bergen Hill Tunnels. Paper No. 1154 by F. Lavis
Rapidly-sinking rays streaming through the gaps of the cantilevers onto the pitch.
From BBC ● Apr. 19, 2024
Where the top level extends cantilevers out to create a covered porch, it is supported by a pair of tree trunks that Austin’s builder, Kaplan Homes, found washed up on the beach.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 7, 2024
A triangular overhang cantilevers above the mahogany front door.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 10, 2022
The typical features of Googie buildings were prominent rooflines with cantilevers, zig-zags and upswept points as well as tall sign pylons.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 22, 2016
The girders over the second and fourth spans are extended as cantilevers over the adjoining spans.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3 "Brescia" to "Bulgaria" by Various
Its panels of fiberglass-reinforced polymer are ingenious, significantly lightening the weight of a daringly cantilevered structure near the San Andreas fault in the Exposition Park neighborhood of South L.A.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
A few steps from the hotel, a cantilevered pedestrian bridge spans Falls Park on the Reedy, a wooded ravine with cascading waterfalls and leafy footpaths.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
Koenig’s solution was a cantilevered L-shaped structure with walls of steel and glass, a pool and a free-standing stone-faced fireplace between the living and dining areas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 24, 2025
As the sun set on a cloudy evening in Times Square on Friday, a 65-foot-long frankfurter cantilevered into the sky and spewed out a blast of rainbow confetti.
From New York Times ● May 7, 2024
You are looking at the only cantilevered structure of its kind on earth.
From "The London Eye Mystery" by Siobhan Dowd
That could include tunneling, cantilevering lanes or other ideas the private sector might suggest to limit Beltway widening, he said.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 14, 2019
Museum and designer retreated from the idea of cantilevering a wing over the principal tar pool.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 29, 2019
It was nowhere to be seen at the Oscars, where Jennifer Lawrence’s black lace Dior gown was free of obvious cantilevering.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 1, 2016
“His body is cantilevering, but he’s fortunate at one point to get his left foot on the ground to brace against the momentum of the football striking his hand.”
From New York Times ● Nov. 24, 2014
It's a taxidermist's dream, with massive forelegs and a rack that should need cantilevering.
From Time Magazine Archive
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
