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high beam

American  
Or highbeam

noun

  1. an automobile headlight beam providing bright, long-range illumination of a darkened road and chiefly for use in driving in nonurban areas.


Etymology

Origin of high beam

First recorded in 1935–40

Compare meaning

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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:

A high beam from a helicopter shone down on the crowd.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 11, 2025

Casting a harsh high beam on a growing societal problem, swaddled in mental-health resources and caveats, it doesn’t so much illuminate as irradiate.

From New York Times Mar. 26, 2023

Ideally, it will come standard to more vehicles instead of being locked behind a paywall like BMW has done for its auto high beam feature.

From The Verge Feb. 17, 2022

Bertsch responded by speeding after Blanchard’s truck, tailgating, flashing his high beam headlights and continuing to follow the truck, even as it made turns onto other roads.

From Seattle Times Nov. 17, 2021

I said, “Sure!” then ran over and jumped up onto the high beam, which was taller than I was at the time.

From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles

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