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I-beam

American  
[ahy-beem] / ˈaɪˌbim /

noun

  1. a rolled or extruded metal beam having a cross section resembling an I.

I-beam British  

noun

  1. a rolled steel joist or a girder with a cross section in the form of a capital letter I Compare H-beam

"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

Etymology

Origin of I-beam

First recorded in 1890–95

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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.

Gamboa was placing an I-beam atop the plant’s paint building when he lost his balance and fell.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 12, 2025

The three then walked with dozens of others on a trail through the desert, crossed the Colorado River, and arrived at the I-beam barricades around 3 a.m.

From Los Angeles Times • May 10, 2023

Swain, 59, was a commercial electrician in Tampa when a collision with an I-beam on a construction site 10 years ago left him with severe neck and back injuries.

From Washington Post • Dec. 5, 2022

A side beam near the southbound lane showed a bent I-beam edge, which Cox said might have been hit by flying cargo Wednesday.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 17, 2021

He appeared from behind an I-beam and raised his welding shield.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

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.