beam
Other forms: beams; beaming; beamed
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.
Definitions of beam
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long thick piece of wood or metal or concrete, etc., used in construction
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types:
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box beam, box girder
a beam built up from boards; has a hollow rectangular cross section
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cantilever
projecting horizontal beam fixed at one end only
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girder
a beam made usually of steel; a main support in a structure
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header
a framing member crossing and supporting the ends of joists, studs, or rafters so as to transfer their weight to parallel joists, studs, or rafters
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header, lintel
horizontal beam used as a finishing piece over a door or window
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joist
beam used to support a floor or ceiling
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keel
one of the main longitudinal beams (or plates) of the hull of a vessel; can extend vertically into the water to provide lateral stability
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keelson
a longitudinal beam connected to the keel of ship to strengthen it
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balk, baulk, rafter
one of several parallel sloping beams that support a roof
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rider plate
a horizontal beam (or plate) connected to the top of a ship's vertical keel or to the keelson
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ridge, ridgepole, rooftree
a beam laid along the edge where two sloping sides of a roof meet at the top; provides an attachment for the upper ends of rafters
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shore, shoring
a beam or timber that is propped against a structure to provide support
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tie, tie beam
a horizontal beam used to prevent two other structural members from spreading apart or separating
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timber
a beam made of wood
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crossbeam, crosspiece, trave, traverse
a horizontal beam that extends across something
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bilge keel
either of two lengthwise fins attached along the outside of a ship's bilge; reduces rolling
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coulisse
a timber member grooved to take a sliding panel
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floor joist
joist that supports a floor
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I-beam
girder having a cross section resembling the letter `I'
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sternpost
(nautical) the principal upright timber at the stern of a vessel
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stringer
a long horizontal timber to connect uprights
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trimmer, trimmer joist
joist that receives the end of a header in floor or roof framing in order to leave an opening for a staircase or chimney etc.
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two-by-four
a timber measuring (slightly under) 2 inches by 4 inches in cross section
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type of:
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piece
a separate part of a whole
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structural member
support that is a constituent part of any structure or building
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a gymnastic apparatus used by women gymnasts
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synonyms:
balance beam
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type of:
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exerciser, gymnastic apparatus
sports equipment used in gymnastic exercises
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exerciser, gymnastic apparatus
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a column of light (as from a beacon)
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synonyms:
beam of light, irradiation, light beam, ray, ray of light, shaft, shaft of light
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types:
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heat ray
a ray that produces a thermal effect
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high beam
the beam of a car's headlights that provides distant illumination
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moon ray, moon-ray, moonbeam
a ray of moonlight
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sunbeam, sunray
a ray of sunlight
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laser beam
a beam of light generated by a laser
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low beam
the beam of a car's headlights that provides illumination for a short distance
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infrared ray
a ray of infrared radiation; produces a thermal effect (as from an infrared lamp)
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type of:
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light, visible light, visible radiation
(physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
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a group of nearly parallel lines of electromagnetic radiation
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synonyms:
electron beam, ray
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types:
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cathode ray
a beam of electrons emitted by the cathode of an electrical discharge tube
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particle beam
a collimated flow of particles (atoms or electrons or molecules)
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ion beam, ionic beam
a beam of ions moving in the same direction at the same speed
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type of:
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electromagnetic radiation, electromagnetic wave, nonparticulate radiation
radiation consisting of waves of energy associated with electric and magnetic fields resulting from the acceleration of an electric charge
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cathode ray
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a signal transmitted along a narrow path; guides airplane pilots in darkness or bad weather
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synonyms:
radio beam
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emit light; be bright, as of the sun or a light“The fire beamed on their faces”
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synonyms:
shine
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types:
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beat down
shine hard
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beacon
shine like a beacon
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glare
shine intensely
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flame, flare
shine with a sudden light
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outshine
shine brighter than
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shimmer
shine with a weak or fitful light
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flick, flicker
shine unsteadily
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blaze
shine brightly and intensively
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scintillate, twinkle, winkle
emit or reflect light in a flickering manner
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burn, glow
shine intensely, as if with heat
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beat
glare or strike with great intensity
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gutter
burn unsteadily, feebly, or low; flicker
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broadcast over the airwaves, as in radio or television
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types:
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satellite
broadcast or disseminate via satellite
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sportscast
broadcast a sports event
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telecast, televise
broadcast via television
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interrogate
transmit (a signal) for setting off an appropriate response, as in telecommunication
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rebroadcast, rerun
broadcast again, as of a film
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colorcast, colourcast
broadcast in color
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have a complexion with a strong bright color, such as red or pink
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experience a feeling of well-being or happiness, as from good health or an intense emotion“She was beaming with joy”
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type of:
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experience, feel
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
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experience, feel
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smile radiantly; express joy through one's facial expression
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type of:
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smile
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
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smile
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express with a beaming face or smile
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the broad side of a ship“they sighted land on the port beam”
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type of:
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side
an extended outer surface of an object
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side
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(nautical) breadth amidships
Pronunciation
US
/bim/
UK
/bim/
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Word Family
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I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919
In this nineteenth book of the historical fiction I Survived series, twelve-year-old Carmen Grasso finds her horse licking Boston's giant leaky molasses tank just before an explosion.
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Unit 5, Words to Know
Learn these words from Code X, Course I, Unit 5.
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