low beam

American  

noun

1. an automobile headlight beam providing short-range illumination of a road and intended chiefly for use in driving on the streets of cities, towns, etc.

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Etymology

Origin of low beam

First recorded in 1945–50

Compare meaning

How does low-beam compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• high beam vs. low beam

Example Sentences

But at the higher energies, the whirling particles are hard to control and give low beam intensity.

From Time Magazine Archive

So I hopped down and ran over to the low beam.

From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles

Keeping the illuminator on low beam, Dfar-Lll led the way through the bushes.

From Collector's Item by Smith, Evelyn E.

The lantern hung from a low beam just above his face; his eyes blazed across the short interval with the splendor of a hawk's.

From The Cavalier by Cable, George Washington

Of the two nests whose owners I had to study, one was on a low beam in the cow-barn, where a person might look in; the other under the eaves of a farm-building close by.

From Little Brothers of the Air by Miller, Olive Thorne