beam Meaning & Definition
What Does Beam Mean?
As a noun, beam means Any large piece of timber or iron long in proportion to its thickness, and prepared for use. It can also mean One of the principal horizontal structural members, usually of steel, timber, or concrete, of a building. As a verb, it means To emit beams of light; to shine; to radiate. As a verb, it means To emit beams of light; shine; radiate.
Beam in Brief
| Part of speech | noun, verb |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈbiːm/ |
| Synonyms | glow, air and transmit |
| Plural | beams |
| Verb forms | beams, beaming, beamed |
Beam Definition (Noun)
- Any large piece of timber or iron long in proportion to its thickness, and prepared for use.
- One of the principal horizontal structural members, usually of steel, timber, or concrete, of a building.
- One of the transverse members of a ship's frame on which the decks are laid, and acting as part of the support for keeping the sides of the vessel in shape — supported at the sides by knees in wooden ships and by stringers in steel ones; cf. abeam, beam-ends.
- The maximum width of a vessel (note that a vessel with a beam of 15 foot can also be said to be 15 foot abeam).
This ship has more beam than that one.
- The direction across a vessel, perpendicular to fore-and-aft.
As the vessel passes a landmark, the landmark is said to be abeam. Once the vessel has passed the landmark, it falls abaft the beam, then it gradually falls astern.
- The straight part or shank of an anchor.
- The crossbar of a mechanical balance, from the ends of which the scales are suspended.
- In steam engines, a heavy iron lever having an oscillating motion on a central axis, one end of which is connected with the piston rod from which it receives motion, and the other with the crank of the wheel shaft.
- The central bar of a plow, to which the handles and colter are secured, and to the end of which are attached the oxen or horses that draw it.
- A ray or collection of approximately parallel rays emitted from the sun or other luminous body; a similar flow of particles.
a beam of light
- The principal stem of the antler of a deer, which branches grow out from.
- One of the long feathers in the wing of a hawk.
- The pole of a carriage or chariot.
- A cylinder of wood, making part of a loom, on which weavers wind the warp before weaving and the cylinder on which the cloth is rolled, as it is woven.
- A ray; a gleam.
a beam of hope, or of comfort
- A horizontal bar which connects the stems of two or more notes to group them and to indicate metric value.
- An elevated rectangular dirt pile used to cheaply build an elevated portion of a railway.
- A balance beam. A gymnastic activity or event using a balance beam.
- A gymnastic activity or event using a balance beam.
- A broad smile.
Beam as a Verb
- To emit beams of light; to shine; to radiate.
to beam forth light
- To smile broadly or especially cheerfully.
to beam with pride
- To furnish or supply with beams.
- To give the appearance of beams to.
- To transmit matter or information via a high-tech wireless mechanism.
Beam me up, Scotty; there's no intelligent life down here.
- To transmit, especially by direct wireless means such as infrared.
- To stretch something (for example, an animal hide) on a beam.
- To put (something) on a beam.
- To connect (musical notes) with a beam, or thick line, in music notation.
Noun
- One of the principal horizontal timbers of a building; one of the transverse members of a ship's frame on which the decks are laid — supported at the sides by knees in wooden ships and by stringers in steel ones.
- The principal stem of the antler of a deer.
- A ray or collection of approximately parallel rays emitted from the sun or other luminous body.
a beam of energy
Verb
- To emit beams of light; shine; radiate.
to beam forth light
- (currying) To stretch something (for example an animal hide) on a beam.
Synonyms of Beam
Beam in a Sentence
This ship has more beam than that one.
As the vessel passes a landmark, the landmark is said to be abeam. Once the vessel has passed the landmark, it falls abaft the beam, then it gradually falls astern.
a beam of light
a beam of neutrons
a beam of energy
a beam of hope, or of comfort
to beam forth light
to beam with pride
Beam me up, Scotty; there's no intelligent life down here.
The injured crewmembers were immediately beamed to sickbay.
Word Forms & Grammar
beam (plural beams)
beam (third-person singular simple present beams, present participle beaming, simple past and past participle beamed)
Words That Rhyme With Beam
Origin of Beam
Origin 1: From Middle English bem, beem, from Old English bēam (“tree, cross, gallows, column, pillar, wood, beam, splint, post, stock, rafter, piece of wood”), from Proto-West Germanic *baum, from Proto-Germanic *baumaz (“tree, beam, balk”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- (“to grow, appear”).
Origin 2: Cognate with North Frisian Boom, buum (“tree”), Saterland Frisian Boom (“tree”), West Frisian beam (“tree”), Cimbrian pome, póom, puam (“tree”), Dutch boom (“tree”), German Low German Boom (“tree”), German Baum (“tree”), Luxembourgish Bam (“tree”), Mòcheno pa'm (“tree”), Vilamovian baojm (“tree”), Yiddish בוים (boym, “tree”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish bom (“beam”), Icelandic baðmur (“tree”), Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌲𐌼𐍃 (bagms, “tree”), Albanian bimë (“a plant”). Doublet of boom.
Origin 3: The original English meaning of beam ("tree") is preserved in some compound words such as quickbeam.
Origin 4: The verb is from Middle English bemen, from Old English bēamian (“to shine, to cast forth rays or beams of light”), from the noun.
Common Questions About Beam
Is beam a noun or a verb?
Beam is mainly used as a noun, but it can also be used as a verb.
What is another word for beam?
You can replace beam with words such as glow, air and transmit. See the full list of beam synonyms and antonyms.
What is the plural of beam?
The plural of beam is beams.
What is the past tense of beam?
The past tense of beam is beamed. The present participle is beaming.