beaming
Americanadjective
-
radiant; bright.
-
smiling brightly; cheerful.
Other Word Forms
- beamingly adverb
- unbeaming adjective
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.
Echostar is a data conglomerate External link that operates a fleet of satellites capable of beaming television and data from space, and operates its Boost Mobile wireless network down on Earth.
From Barron's • Mar. 23, 2026
Images taken of the couple show them both beaming from ear to ear, with Perry looking every inch the chart-topping icon in a figure-hugging red dress, while Trudeau donned an all-black suit.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 23, 2026
Photos of her beaming, standing next to Savanna Guthrie on the set of the “Today” show and celebrating Christmas in matching pajamas with her grandkids, have been shared widely.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 18, 2026
As one beaming face follows the next, Ms Pelicot, for the first time, wipes away a tear.
From BBC • Feb. 14, 2026
"Look," said Belet, beaming her flashlight on the walls.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
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.
