noun A long, sturdy length of wood, steel, or concrete used to support a structure such as a floor, roof, or ship deck.
- The builders lifted a heavy wooden beam into place above the doorway.
- The old barn was held up by oak beams a century old.
- Engineers checked whether the steel beam could bear the extra load.
noun A ray or narrow stream of light.
- A thin beam from my torch showed the way down the path.
- A beam of sunlight cut through the curtains.
- The lighthouse beam swept across the dark water.
noun A wide, happy smile.
- Her proud beam told everyone that the exam results were good.
- He gave a huge beam when he saw his birthday cake.
- She greeted us with a beam that lit up her whole face.
verb To smile broadly and happily.
- The toddler beamed at the puppy and held out her arms.
- You could see the nurse beam whenever the newborn babies arrived.
- He beamed with pride as his daughter crossed the stage.
verb To send out light, or to transmit signals or data wirelessly.
- The projector beams a bright image onto the white wall.
- Engineers beam data from the weather station to the office computer.
- The satellite beams the signal down to receivers on the ground.
