girder

noun

gird·​er ˈgər-dər 

: a horizontal main structural member (as in a building or bridge) that supports vertical loads and that consists of a single piece or of more than one piece bound together

Examples of girder in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In the distance, an impressive railway bridge, its steel girders painted bright white, stretches across the shimmering landscape, apparently untouched by the US and Israeli strikes that battered and scarred parts of Iran earlier this year. —Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 13 May 2026

Rigid airships, such as zeppelins, consist of a light framework of aluminum-alloy girders that is covered with fabric. —Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 May 2026

In an age where most electrics are looking towards the future with unheard-of modern tech on board, the C6 sports a WWII-era girder-style front fork and a monoshock with an internal floating piston at the rear. —New Atlas, 15 Apr. 2026

Nearby, men drill the girders of a bridge; the iron beams make bold crisscrosses, moving the eye diagonally. —Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

gird entry 1 (in sense "to surround as with a belt, connect firmly") + -er entry 2

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing girder

• lattice girder

Rhymes for girder

• murder

Kids Definition

girder

noun

gird·​er ˈgərd-ər 

: a horizontal main supporting beam