beam /ˈbiːm/noun 20verb 9forms 5phrases 3 noun20 •a band of light going straight out from the sun or another bright sourceThat light we see is burning in my hall: / How farre that little candle throws his beames, / So shines a good deed in a naughty world. — 1596 •(figurative) A ray; a gleam. •Any large piece of timber or iron long in proportion to its thickness, and prepared for use. •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. — 1614 •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. •The straight part or shank of an anchor. •The crossbar of a mechanical balance, from the ends of which the scales are suspended.The doubtful beam long nods from side to side. — 1714 •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. •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. •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. •(literary) The pole of a carriage or chariot. •A balance beam. •A gymnastic activity or event using a balance beam. •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. — 2023 •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. •A horizontal bar which connects the stems of two or more notes to group them and to indicate metric value. •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. •The principal stem of the antler of a deer, which branches grow out from. •An elevated rectangular dirt pile used to cheaply build an elevated portion of a railway. •(informal) One of the long feathers in the wing of a hawk. verb9 •To emit beams of light; to shine; to radiate.Jesus beams golden light from his solar plexus into Eric's root chakra. — 2019 •(figurative) To smile broadly or especially cheerfully. •To transmit matter or information via a high-tech wireless mechanism.Beam me up, Scotty; there's no intelligent life down here.The injured crewmembers were immediately beamed to sickbay. •To transmit, especially by direct wireless means such as infrared.To beam a file to another Pocket PC, follow these steps: […] — 2002 •To connect (musical notes) with a beam, or thick line, in music notation. •To furnish or supply with beams. •To stretch something (for example, an animal hide) on a beam. •To put (something) on a beam. •To give the appearance of beams to. formsbeamed · beaming · beameth · beams · beames Phrases with beam beam upTo teleport (someone or something) using a (fictional) device, especially from the surface of a planet to an orbiting starship. broad in the beamWide across the hull. kick the beamTo lack in weight, importance, or strength compared to another.