beam

The word “beam” means a long, sturdy length of wood, steel, or concrete used to support a structure such as a floor, roof, or ship deck. In plain terms, a supporting length of material, a ray of light, or a big happy smile — the verb can mean to smile, shine, or transmit a signal.

“Beam” is pronounced BEEM (/ˈbiːm/ in IPA).

Here is “beam” used in a sentence: “The old barn was held up by oak beams a century old.”

Depending on how it is used, “beam” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “beam” comes from Old English. From Old English bēam, which originally meant "tree" or "piece of wood" — the sense survives in words like "boom" (a ship's spar) and in some plant names.

“Beam” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.

“Beam” has 5 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a long, sturdy length of wood, steel, or concrete used to support a structure such as a floor, roof, or ship deck.

Both are long structural supports, but a girder is typically a large, heavy main beam that carries other, smaller beams. In everyday use "beam" is the general term for any load-bearing length of wood, steel, or concrete, while "girder" usually refers to the biggest ones in a frame or bridge.

A beam is a broad term for a sturdy horizontal support, while a joist is a specific type of smaller, closely spaced beam used to hold up a floor or ceiling. Joists often rest on and transfer their load to larger beams.

A ray is a single, narrow line of light, whereas a beam is generally a wider stream made up of many rays travelling together. Both senses describe light moving in a fairly straight, directed path.

In the light sense, "beam" often appears in phrases like a beam of sunlight, a laser beam, or a searchlight beam. In the structural sense it pairs with words such as steel beam, roof beam, and supporting beam.