beam

BEEM/biːm/

Pluralbeams

Verbbeams, beaming, beamed

25 meanings of beam

Practice

1
ray of lightnouncountable
A line of light or energy that shines out from something, or a small sign of hope or joy.
A beam of sunlight came through the window and warmed the floor.
The flashlight sent a bright beam across the dark yard.
UsageSay a beam of light.
Similarray, shaft, stream, gleam
Note
2
building supportnouncountable
A long, heavy bar of wood, metal or concrete, often used to hold up a roof or floor.
Like the strong bones inside a body that hold everything up.
Workers lifted the steel beam into place with a crane.
An old wooden beam runs across the ceiling of the farmhouse kitchen.
Similargirder, timber
Note
3
be all smilesverbfigurativelyintransitive
To smile in a very big and happy way.
Grandma beamed when she saw the children at the door.
I always beam when my dog runs to meet me.
UsageSay she beamed at me, or beamed with pride.
Similargrin, smile, glow
Oppositefrown, scowl
Note
4
send out lightverbtransitive or intransitive
To send out light, or to shine brightly.
The morning sun will beam right through this window.
Stage lights beamed down on the singer during the show.
Similarshine, glow, stream, radiate
Note
5
gymnasticsnounabbreviationellipsis
In gymnastics, a narrow raised bar that gymnasts balance on, or the event using it. Short for balance beam.
She fell off the beam during practice but got right back on.
His sister won a medal on beam at the meet.
UsageSay she won on beam but fell off the beam.
Note
6
transport by rayverbtransitive
In science fiction, to send people or things from one place to another in an instant, using a beam.
In the story, the crew was beamed onto the alien ship.
In the movie, the ship can beam people from one planet to another.
UsageSay beam me up.
Similarteleport, transport
Note
7
ship's widthnouncountable or uncountable
How wide a boat or ship is at its widest point.
This sailboat has a beam of ten feet.
The ferry's wide beam keeps it steady in rough water.
UsageSay the boat has a beam of ten feet.
Similarbreadth
8
send wirelesslyverbtransitive
To send pictures, signals, or information through the air, by radio, satellite, or from one device to another.
Like throwing a ball straight to a friend, but with information instead of a ball.
You can beam photos from your phone to the printer.
She beamed the file to my tablet in seconds.
UsageSay the game was beamed live around the world.
Similartransmit, send
Note
9
install supportsverbtransitive
To put beams into a building, ceiling or wall, to hold it up or for looks.
The new barn was beamed with thick pine logs.
The cottage has low ceilings beamed with dark oak.

Less common meanings

10
a big smilenouncountable
A big, wide smile that shows someone is very happy.
A beam spread across his face when he heard the good news.
Grandma opened the door with a huge beam on her face.
Similarsmile, grin
Note
11
across a shipnouncountable
The direction straight across a boat, from one side to the other.
The wind hit us on the beam as we turned out of the bay.
Another boat passed close on our beam without slowing down.
Note
12
scale barnouncountable
The bar across the top of a weighing scale that the two pans hang from.
Like a seesaw that tips down on the heavier side.
The beam tips down on the heavier side.
She watched the beam until the two pans hung level.
Similararm, crossbar
Note
13
deck supportnouncountable
A strong bar that runs across a ship and holds up the deck.
Each beam under the deck runs from one side of the ship to the other.
Old wooden ships had thick oak beams supporting their decks.
Note
14
thick note linenouncountable
A thick line in printed music that connects two or more short notes.
A beam joins the two short notes in that bar.
Notes under one beam are played as a group.
Note
15
draw note linesverbtransitive
To join written music notes together with a thick line.
The teacher showed us how to beam the short notes in groups.
She beamed four quick notes together so the rhythm was easy to read.
Note
16
antler stemnouncountable
The thick main part of a deer's antler that the smaller points grow from.
Like the trunk of a small tree, with the points as its branches.
The hunter measured the beam of the deer's left antler.
Hunters often guess a deer's age from the size of the beam.
Note
17
noun
A heavy bar in an old steam engine that rocks up and down to pass power to a pump or a wheel.
18
noun
A round wooden roller on a weaving machine that holds the threads or the finished cloth.
19
verb
To wind threads or cloth onto a big roller on a weaving machine.
20
noun
The long, straight middle part of an anchor.
21
noun
The long main bar of a plow that the animals pull and the handles connect to.
22
nouncolloquial
One of the long feathers in a hawk's wing.
23
nounliterary
The long pole at the front of a carriage that the horses are tied to.
24
noun
A long raised bank of dirt that train tracks are built on top of.
25
verb
To stretch something, like an animal skin, over a rounded wooden support to work on it.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of beam apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From Old English bēam, which meant 'tree' or a piece of wood. It goes back to Proto-Germanic and is related to German Baum and Dutch boom, both meaning 'tree'. The verb comes from Old English bēamian, 'to shine'.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts

Beam derives from Old English bēam, meaning 'tree' or 'piece of wood'. en.wiktionary.org
The word goes back to Proto-Germanic. en.wiktionary.org
Beam is related to German Baum and Dutch boom, both meaning 'tree'. en.wiktionary.org
The verb derives from Old English bēamian, meaning 'to shine'. en.wiktionary.org