beam

American  

[beem] / bim /

noun

beams plural

1. any of various relatively long pieces of metal, wood, stone, etc., manufactured or shaped especially for use as rigid members or parts of structures or machines.

2. Building Trades. a horizontal bearing member, as a joist or lintel.

3. Engineering. a rigid member or structure supported at each end, subject to bending stresses from a direction perpendicular to its length.

4. Nautical.

   1. a horizontal structural member, usually transverse, for supporting the decks and flats of a vessel.

   2. the extreme width of a vessel.

   3. the shank of an anchor.

5. Aeronautics. the direction perpendicular to the plane of symmetry of an aircraft and outward from the side.

6. the widest part.

7. Slang. the measure across both hips or buttocks.

   broad in the beam.

8. Machinery.

   1. walking beam.

   2. (in a loom) a roller or cylinder on which the warp is wound before weaving.

   3. a similar cylinder on which cloth is wound as it is woven.

9. the crossbar of a balance, from the ends of which the scales or pans are suspended.

10. a ray of light.

    The sun shed its beams upon the vineyard.

11. a group of nearly parallel rays.

12. Radio, Aeronautics. a signal transmitted along a narrow course, used to guide pilots through darkness, bad weather, etc.

13. Electronics. a narrow stream of electrons, as that emitted from the electron gun of a cathode ray tube.

14. the angle at which a microphone or loudspeaker functions best.

15. the cone-shaped range of effective use of a microphone or loudspeaker.

16. Citizens Band Radio Slang. beam antenna.

17. a gleam; suggestion.

    a beam of hope.

18. a radiant smile.

19. the principal stem of the antler of a deer.

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verb (used with object)

beams, present (3rd person singular) beamed, past participle, past beaming present participle

1. to emit in or as in beams or rays.

2. Radio. to transmit (a signal) in a particular direction.

3. Radio and Television. to direct (a program, commercial message, etc.) to a predetermined audience.

verb (used without object)

beams, present (3rd person singular) beamed, past participle, past beaming present participle

1. to emit beams, as of light.

2. to smile radiantly or happily.

idioms

1. fly the beam, (of an aircraft) to be guided by a beam.

2. off the beam,

   1. not on the course indicated by a radio beam.

   2. Informal. wrong; incorrect.

      The pollsters were off the beam again for the last presidential election.

3. beam in, to be received under optimum conditions; be heard loud and clear.

   They told me I was really beaming in.

4. on the beam,

   1. on the course indicated by a radio beam, as an airplane.

   2. Nautical. at right angles to the keel.

   3. Informal. proceeding well; correct; exact.

      Their research is right on the beam and the results should be very valuable.

beam British  

/ biːm /

noun

1. a long thick straight-sided piece of wood, metal, concrete, etc, esp one used as a horizontal structural member

2. any rigid member or structure that is loaded transversely

3. the breadth of a ship or boat taken at its widest part, usually amidships

4. a ray or column of light, as from a beacon

5. a broad smile

6. one of the two cylindrical rollers on a loom, one of which holds the warp threads before weaving, the other the finished work

7. the main stem of a deer's antler from which the smaller branches grow

8. the central shaft of a plough to which all the main parts are attached

9. a narrow unidirectional flow of electromagnetic radiation or particles

   a beam of light

   an electron beam

10. the horizontal centrally pivoted bar in a balance

11. informal the width of the hips (esp in the phrase broad in the beam )

12. a fault or grave error greater in oneself than in another person

13. 1. not following a radio beam to maintain a course

    2. informal wrong, mistaken, or irrelevant

14. 1. following a radio beam to maintain a course

    2. nautical opposite the beam of a vessel; abeam

    3. informal correct, relevant, or appropriate

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verb

1. to send out or radiate (rays of light)

2. (tr) to divert or aim (a radio signal or broadcast, light, etc) in a certain direction

   to beam a programme to Tokyo

3. to pass (data, esp business card details, etc) from one hand-held computer to another by means of infrared beams

4. (intr) to smile broadly with pleasure or satisfaction

beam More Idioms  

1. see broad in the beam; off the beam.

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Synonym Usage

See gleam. See shine ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• underbeam
  noun
• outbeam
  verb (used with object)
• beamed
  adjective
• beaming
  adjective
• beamless
  adjective
• beamlike
  adjective
• beamy
  adjective
• unbeamed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• beams
  plural

Participles

• beaming
  present
• beamed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• beam
  simple
• beams
  simple
• have beamed
  perfect
• has beamed
  perfect
• am beaming
  progressive
• are beaming
  progressive
• is beaming
  progressive
• have been beaming
  perfect progressive
• has been beaming
  perfect progressive

Past

• beamed
  simple
• had beamed
  perfect
• was beaming
  progressive
• were beaming
  progressive
• had been beaming
  perfect progressive

Future

• will beam
  simple
• will have beamed
  perfect
• will be beaming
  progressive
• will have been beaming
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of beam

First recorded before 900; Middle English beem, Old English bēam “tree, post, ray of light”; cognate with Old Frisian bām, Old Saxon bōm, Dutch boom, Old High German boum ( German Baum ), Gothic bagms, Old Norse bathmr tree; the identity of the consonant which has assimilated itself to the following m is unclear, as is the original root; perhaps unattested Germanic bagmaz, from unattested bargmaz, from unattested Indo-European bhorǵh-mos “growth”; see barrow ²

Explanation

A beam is a long board that's used to hold up a roof or doorway. The beams in your kitchen ceiling help support the upstairs floor just above it. In construction, beams are made of wood or metal and are used to frame a building and provide structure. In gymnastics, a beam is used for balancing and doing tricks on. If someone comments that you're getting "broad in the beam," they're disparaging the width of your body, especially your hips. In Old English, a beam first meant a tree, and later a rafter or a ship's timber.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

beam beams beamed beaming

To examine the material's properties, the researchers used molecular beam epitaxy together with low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy, allowing them to probe its electronic behavior with atomic level precision.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026

The 29-year-old’s first elite meet since 2013 was on June 27, when she tied for third on beam and performed a floor routine with light tumbling passes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

Its beam time could be cut by up to a fifth, and a planned upgrade is now in doubt.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

"I've been in construction 21 years, and I've never seen a beam bend in half -- so this is super dangerous."

From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026

As the beam from his flashlight swept the floor, he spied a blanket and pillow laid out like a bed.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

Hewing is the ancient art of cutting logs into beams or planks for timber frames.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

The atoms were sealed inside an isolated system and separated by a thin barrier created with two laser beams of different frequencies.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026

Two supporting columns on the building’s 21st floor, which the developer said might not have been properly reinforced, buckled and steel beams began to bend.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

Emergency struts and beams would be brought in to strengthen the building, officials said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026

The German night fighter plane was picking off the line of Po-2s as they lumbered slowly into the waiting beams of the searchlights.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

He beamed as spoke at length about the renovations, and vowed that the forthcoming Independence Day festivities would be "the greatest show of all."

From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026

Some stopped him for pictures as he beamed down the camera and flashed a thumbs-up.

From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026

So while some fans teared up at her lyrics and others beamed with excitement, everyone was hyped to experience Rodrigo’s new album.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2026

He beamed with pride as the Queen pinned his medal to his waistcoat as the children sat down for tea, and even raised a toast to her – with a glass of water.

From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026

She beamed at them, and her dangling emerald earrings sparkled alongside her smile.

From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro

The company also will continue developing a wireless power transfer system that uses fiber lasers and a space based heat rejection system to improve the durability of power beaming technology.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026

The Portugal fans I spoke to before the game were beaming with pride and adulation for the player who "helped put Portugal on the map".

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

Team captain Cristiano Ronaldo stood front and center, looking serious amid many beaming teammates and holding up a red No. 21 jersey in Jota’s honor.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026

"I started singing at age 12 in a competition in Cape Verde, and I haven't stopped since," Ceuzany Pires, 35, told AFP with a beaming smile.

From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026

I couldn’t stop myself from beaming at him.

From "Wish" by Barbara O'Connor

Related Words

• girder
• joist
• piling
• pillar
• plank
• pole
• shaft
• sill
• timber