beam

[ beem ]

/ bim /

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See synonyms for: beam / beamed / beaming on Thesaurus.com

noun

any of various relatively long pieces of metal, wood, stone, etc., manufactured or shaped especially for use as rigid members or parts of structures or machines.

Building Trades. a horizontal bearing member, as a joist or lintel.

Engineering. a rigid member or structure supported at each end, subject to bending stresses from a direction perpendicular to its length.

Nautical.

a horizontal structural member, usually transverse, for supporting the decks and flats of a vessel.
the extreme width of a vessel.
the shank of an anchor.

Aeronautics. the direction perpendicular to the plane of symmetry of an aircraft and outward from the side.

the widest part.

Slang. the measure across both hips or buttocks: broad in the beam.

Machinery.

walking beam.
(in a loom) a roller or cylinder on which the warp is wound before weaving.
a similar cylinder on which cloth is wound as it is woven.

the crossbar of a balance, from the ends of which the scales or pans are suspended.

a ray of light: The sun shed its beams upon the vineyard.

a group of nearly parallel rays.

Radio, Aeronautics. a signal transmitted along a narrow course, used to guide pilots through darkness, bad weather, etc.

Electronics. a narrow stream of electrons, as that emitted from the electron gun of a cathode ray tube.

the angle at which a microphone or loudspeaker functions best.

the cone-shaped range of effective use of a microphone or loudspeaker.

Citizens Band Radio Slang. beam antenna.

a gleam; suggestion: a beam of hope.

a radiant smile.

the principal stem of the antler of a deer.

verb (used with object)

to emit in or as in beams or rays.

Radio. to transmit (a signal) in a particular direction.

Radio and Television. to direct (a program, commercial message, etc.) to a predetermined audience.

verb (used without object)

to emit beams, as of light.

to smile radiantly or happily.

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Idioms about beam

beam in, Citizens Band Radio Slang. to be received under optimum conditions; be heard loud and clear: They told me I was really beaming in.

fly the beam, Radio, Aeronautics. (of an aircraft) to be guided by a beam.

off the beam,

not on the course indicated by a radio beam.
Informal. wrong; incorrect: The pollsters were off the beam again for the last presidential election.

on the beam,

on the course indicated by a radio beam, as an airplane.
Nautical. at right angles to the keel.
Informal. proceeding well; correct; exact: Their research is right on the beam and the results should be very valuable.

Origin of beam

First recorded before 900; Middle English beem, Old English bēam “tree, post, ray of light”; cognate with Old Frisian bām, Old Saxon bōm, Dutch boom, Old High German boum (German Baum), Gothic bagms, Old Norse bathmr tree; the identity of the consonant which has assimilated itself to the following m is unclear, as is the original root; perhaps unattested Germanic bagmaz, from unattested bargmaz, from unattested Indo-European bhorǵh-mos “growth”; see barrow²

synonym study for beam

10. See gleam. 20. See shine¹.

OTHER WORDS FROM beam

beamless, adjectivebeamlike, adjectiveoutbeam, verb (used with object)un·beamed, adjective

un·der·beam, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use beam in a sentence

Arecibo is one of the few facilities on the planet that can blast radar beams to objects in the solar system and successfully pick up a bounce back that could be used to ascertain the structure and movement of those objects.
The second-largest radio telescope in the world is shutting down|Neel Patel|November 19, 2020|MIT Technology Review
The cameras can also be used to document the behavior of nocturnal carnivores without disturbing them with beams of light.
This blind rhino’s infrared security system could help stop poachers|Rachael Zisk|November 12, 2020|Popular-Science
On a heavily modified 4x4, the Flex Era 3 will fit inside virtually any aftermarket bumper to serve as a cornering light, augmenting any beams your recipient might already have.
The Best Gift Ideas for 4x4 Enthusiasts|Wes Siler|November 12, 2020|Outside Online
Then, some or all of those beams are trained on a small, carefully designed target.
Giant lasers help re-create supernovas’ explosive, mysterious physics|Emily Conover|November 12, 2020|Science News

They fired beams of electrons at ice cores representing different possibilities for Europa’s surface and filmed the results with a video camera.
Europa’s icy surface may glow in the dark|Kate Baggaley|November 11, 2020|Popular-Science
On Election Night, he beamed: “This is the beginning of a new chapter in the life of our city.”
The Ugly Truth About Cory Booker, New Jersey’s Golden Boy|Olivia Nuzzi|October 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"Palmer always keeps his word," beamed Weaver, putting the right hander back in the rotation.
Will the Real Jim Palmer Please Stand Up|Tom Boswell|September 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Morgan, beamed in as ever from a planet far from ours, delivered a mini-novella, dedicated to these people being “part of me.”
‘The Real Housewives of New York City’ Loses a Leg in Sixth-Season Finale|Tim Teeman|July 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Her smile beamed out from under a head of short-cropped, curly black hair.
A Woman Blogger’s Scoop Helped Save Tunisia From Islamists|Thomas A. Bass|April 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Jenner's soon-to-be brother-in-law, Kanye West, beamed with pride as he watched from the front row.
Kendall Jenner Walks for Givenchy; Suzy Menkes Named Vogue's International Editor|The Fashion Beast Team|March 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As Felipe approached, the old man's face beamed with pleasure, and he came forward totteringly, leaning on a staff in each hand.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson
The broad-beamed budgerow presented a strangely accurate microcosm of India at that moment.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
She quite beamed with welcome, and they disentangled themselves into a side street, where there were empty posts.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
The kitchen is still in its original condition, with its rough-beamed ceiling and huge fireplace.
British Highways And Byways From A Motor Car|Thomas D. Murphy
The poet's room, directly on the right when entering, is rather dark, and has a low-beamed ceiling.
British Highways And Byways From A Motor Car|Thomas D. Murphy

British Dictionary definitions for beam

beam

/ (biːm) /

noun

a long thick straight-sided piece of wood, metal, concrete, etc, esp one used as a horizontal structural member

any rigid member or structure that is loaded transversely

the breadth of a ship or boat taken at its widest part, usually amidships

a ray or column of light, as from a beacon

a broad smile

one of the two cylindrical rollers on a loom, one of which holds the warp threads before weaving, the other the finished work

the main stem of a deer's antler from which the smaller branches grow

the central shaft of a plough to which all the main parts are attached

a narrow unidirectional flow of electromagnetic radiation or particlesa beam of light; an electron beam

the horizontal centrally pivoted bar in a balance

informal the width of the hips (esp in the phrase broad in the beam)

a beam in one's eye a fault or grave error greater in oneself than in another person

off beam or off the beam

not following a radio beam to maintain a course
informal wrong, mistaken, or irrelevant

on the beam

following a radio beam to maintain a course
nautical opposite the beam of a vessel; abeam
informal correct, relevant, or appropriate

verb

to send out or radiate (rays of light)

(tr) to divert or aim (a radio signal or broadcast, light, etc) in a certain directionto beam a programme to Tokyo

to pass (data, esp business card details, etc) from one hand-held computer to another by means of infrared beams

(intr) to smile broadly with pleasure or satisfaction

Derived forms of beam

beamed, adjectivebeaming, adjective, nounbeamless, adjectivebeamlike, adjective

beamy, adjective

Word Origin for beam

Old English beam; related to Gothic bagms tree, Old High German boum tree

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with beam

beam

see broad in the beam; off the beam.

beam

Idioms about beam

Origin of beam

synonym study for beam

OTHER WORDS FROM beam

Words related to beam

How to use beam in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for beam

Derived forms of beam

Word Origin for beam

Other Idioms and Phrases with beam