sunbeam

[ suhn-beem ]
See synonyms for: sunbeamsunbeamy on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a beam or ray of sunlight.

  2. Australian Slang. a dish or utensil that has not been used during a meal and so does not have to be washed.

Origin of sunbeam

1
before 1000; Middle English sunnebem,Old English sun(ne)bēam.See sun, beam

Other words from sunbeam

  • sunbeamed, sunbeamy, adjective

Words Nearby sunbeam

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use sunbeam in a sentence

  • The unintercepted sunbeam struck his eyes at five and speedily woke him.

    Balsamo, The Magician | Alexander Dumas
  • Again was Ida thrown off her guard, and the smile that answered irradiated her face like a sudden sunbeam.

    Alone | Marion Harland
  • I watched you dart like a sunbeam into the forest, so I followed with my slow speed to give you warning.'

    Menotah | Ernest G. Henham

British Dictionary definitions for sunbeam

sunbeam

/ (ˈsʌnˌbiːm) /


noun
  1. a beam, ray, or stream of sunlight

  2. Australian slang a piece of crockery or cutlery laid for a meal but remaining unused

Derived forms of sunbeam

  • sunbeamed or sunbeamy, adjective

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