What does "beam" mean?
Any large piece of timber or iron long in proportion to its thickness, and prepared for use.
Beam
/biːm/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Any large piece of timber or iron long in proportion to its thickness, and prepared for use.
- Grammar: beam is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: ray, shaft, abutment, actinic ray.
- Useful contrasts: absorb, block, column.
- Usage evidence: A beam of sunlight came through the clouds.
How to use "beam"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "beam" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "beam" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "beam" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "beam" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "beam" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "ray" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "beam", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any large piece of timber or iron long in proportion to its thickness, and prepared for use.
"And a letter vnto Asaph the keeper of the kings forrest, that he may giue me timber to make beames for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the Citie, and for the house that I shall enter into: And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God vpon me."
- 2 a gymnastic apparatus used by women gymnasts wordnet
- 3 One of the principal horizontal structural members, usually of steel, timber, or concrete, of a building.
"The brasswork here, how rich it is in beams, / And how, besides, it makes the whole house sound."
- 4 long thick piece of wood or metal or concrete, etc., used in construction wordnet
- 5 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.
"Capt. King, from Demarara, was invaded by the gale on the evening of the 6th, in lat. 21° 51', and his vessel was thrown on her beam ends. He was forced to cut away her main-mast. Lost a man, who was washed overboard. . . . Capt. Mood, on a voyage from Alexandria (Virginia), to St. Mary's (Georgia), was, on the night of the 7th, in the Gulf Stream, to the eastward of Charlston: the wind there was east-north-east, and so hard as to throw his vessel on her beam ends. She lay several hours in this situation. Several of his crew were washed overboard."
Show 21 more definitions
- 6 the broad side of a ship wordnet
- 7 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."
- 8 (nautical) breadth amidships wordnet
- 9 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."
- 10 a signal transmitted along a narrow path; guides airplane pilots in darkness or bad weather wordnet
- 11 The straight part or shank of an anchor.
- 12 a column of light (as from a beacon) wordnet
- 13 The crossbar of a mechanical balance, from the ends of which the scales are suspended.
"The doubtful beam long nods from side to side."
- 14 a group of nearly parallel lines of electromagnetic radiation wordnet
- 15 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.
- 16 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.
- 17 A ray or collection of approximately parallel rays emitted from the sun or other luminous body.
"a beam of light"
- 18 The principal stem of the antler of a deer. informal
- 19 One of the long feathers in the wing of a hawk. informal
- 20 The pole of a carriage or chariot. literary
"Soon after this be subdued the Pisidians who made head against him, and conquered the Phrygians, at whose chief city Gordium (which is said to have been the seat of the ancient Midas) he saw the famous chariot fastened with cords made of the bark of the Cornel-Tree, and was informed that the inhabitants had a constant tradition, that the empire of the world was reserved for him who should untie the knot. Most are of opinion, that Alexander finding that he could not untie it, because the ends of it were secretly folded up within it, cut it asunder with his sword, so that several ends appeared. But Aristobulus tells us that he very easily undid it, by only pulling the pin out of the beam which fastened the yoke to it, and afterwards drawing out the yoke itself."
- 21 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.
- 22 A ray; a gleam. figuratively
"a beam of hope, or of comfort"
- 23 A horizontal bar which connects the stems of two or more notes to group them and to indicate metric value.
- 24 An elevated rectangular dirt pile used to cheaply build an elevated portion of a railway.
- 25 Ellipsis of balance beam. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
- 26 A broad smile.
"He could barely remove the beam from his face when he said: "Arsenal is a massive club and you feel the pressure but I try to put in performances."
Verb
- 1 To emit beams of light; to shine; to radiate. ambitransitive
"to beam forth light"
- 2 smile radiantly; express joy through one's facial expression wordnet
- 3 To smile broadly or especially cheerfully. figuratively, intransitive
"to beam with pride"
- 4 broadcast over the airwaves, as in radio or television wordnet
- 5 To furnish or supply with beams. transitive
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 express with a beaming face or smile wordnet
- 7 To give the appearance of beams to. transitive
- 8 experience a feeling of well-being or happiness, as from good health or an intense emotion wordnet
- 9 To transmit matter or information via a high-tech wireless mechanism. transitive
"Beam me up, Scotty; there's no intelligent life down here."
- 10 have a complexion with a strong bright color, such as red or pink wordnet
- 11 To transmit, especially by direct wireless means such as infrared. transitive
"To beam a file using the File Transfer Protocol."
- 12 emit light; be bright, as of the sun or a light wordnet
- 13 To stretch something (for example, an animal hide) on a beam. transitive
- 14 To put (something) on a beam. transitive
- 15 To connect (musical notes) with a beam, or thick line, in music notation. transitive
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
- 2 Acronym of Bogdan's Erlang Abstract Machine. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
"Elixir is a functional, dynamic language built on top of Erlang and the Erlang VM (BEAM)."
Example
"A beam of sunlight came through the clouds."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "beam"?
Common synonyms include: ray, shaft, abutment, actinic ray, actinism, air.
How do you use "beam" in a sentence?
A beam of sunlight came through the clouds.
How do you pronounce "beam"?
Pronounced /biːm/.
Etymology
From Middle English 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 *bʰew- (“to grow, swell”). 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, Swedish bom (“beam”), Icelandic baðmur (“tree”), Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌲𐌼𐍃 (bagms, “tree”), Albanian bimë (“a plant”). Doublet of boom. The original English meaning of beam ("tree") is preserved in some compound words such as quickbeam. The verb is from Middle English bemen, from Old English bēamian (“to shine, to cast forth rays or beams of light”), from the noun.