- present participle of beam.
beaming
Americanadjective
-
radiant; bright.
-
smiling brightly; cheerful.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of beaming
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."
Vocabulary lists containing beaming
All Aglow: Light Lingo
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myPerspectives 8.1
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"La Vida Robot" and "Reading, Writing and... Recreation"
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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.
A beaming Vickye Giraldo holds her rescued kitten tight against her chest outside her ruined home in quake-hit Cali, Colombia.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
“I will probably be beaming from ear to ear as we set off,” Cousins said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Roberts announced the news via Instagram with a photo of the two beaming near a river and a caption that read, “putting this here before my mom tells everyone.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
The company also will continue developing a wireless power transfer system that uses fiber lasers and a space based heat rejection system to improve the durability of power beaming technology.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026
He had long legs, and a pair of giant claws, and spotlights beaming out from his eyes.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
