beams 1 of 2

Definition of beamsnext
plural of beam
as in rays
a narrow sharply defined line of light radiating from an object we'll need a flashlight that casts a broader beam in order to really see anything

Synonyms & Similar Words

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beams

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of beam

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of beams
Noun
The cost of the six-story hotel with its Spanish Colonial Revival architecture came in at nearly $1 million, or more than $18 million in today’s money, and featured marble floors, private baths, steel beams, and an electric elevator. Susan B. Barnes, Southern Living, 10 Apr. 2026 Workers have spent the past year stripping out everything on the 95th and 96th floors — the former home of the legendary Signature Room restaurant and the Signature Lounge — leaving nothing of the interior but bare concrete floors and exposed steel beams. Chicago Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026 Things changed when a colleague invited him to scan the fossil using synchrotron imaging, a technique described by the University of Reading as using beams of light brighter than the sun. Jack Guy, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2026 The cantilevers contain a thin layer of aluminum nitride, a piezoelectric which expands or contracts under voltage, thus moving the micromachine up and down and enabling the array to scan beams of light over a two-dimensional area. IEEE Spectrum, 9 Apr. 2026 Farther along, the frame of a house and the carpenters reaching to hammer its beams sweep the eye upward. Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026 An empty raft stands resilient on a platform as beams of light shine through holes made by bullets. Sarah Moreno, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2026 The restaurant is located in an old house with wooden beams and a fireplace. Sarah Souli, Travel + Leisure, 8 Apr. 2026 When these rapidly spinning neutron stars blast out radiation from their poles, that radiation sweeps across the cosmos like beams of light from a cosmic lighthouse. Robert Lea, Space.com, 3 Apr. 2026
Verb
Wade beams as his children describe their meal. Andy Rose, CNN Money, 6 Apr. 2026 Nicholas Hoult beams with his bleached hair and Prada button-up courtside at the Lakers versus Cleveland Cavaliers game in Los Angeles on March 31. Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 4 Apr. 2026 Now there’s Hoppers, the latest blockbuster Pixar film, which follows a girl who beams her brain into a beaver robot in the hope of saving a beloved habitat. David Sims, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026 Based on research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the device beams patients with gamma frequency light and sound for an hour a day. Mario Aguilar, STAT, 5 Mar. 2026 The room beams casual charm — plants, light woods, abstract prints on the wall to add color, a communal table and a toddler-size rocking chair among a couple Eames-style loungers — and couldn’t hold many more people. Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026 The characters’ spoken language is unfamiliar, but passionate, and the performances are driven by pure intent that beams through their heavy prosthetics. Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 27 Jan. 2026 The same cousin now beams about ChatGPT. Literary Hub, 24 Nov. 2025 This imager beams a monochrome green image directly to your eye, with a level of light dim enough to be safe but bright enough to be seen against ambient light. IEEE Spectrum, 13 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for beams
Noun
  • Choose from bucket, visor, wide-brim and cap styles, all with advanced sun protection with a UPF 50 rating, blocking 98% of harmful UV rays.
    Tory Johnson, ABC News, 9 Apr. 2026
  • The charter boat made a point of not interfere with the rays, Davisson said.
    Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Whole seeds add texture, while ground flaxseeds offer easier digestion, and flaxseed oil shines in raw applications due to its low smoke point.
    Kirsten Nunez, Martha Stewart, 10 Apr. 2026
  • Alex Nylander has slowed down after starting red-hot with the Blue Jackets, but his stat line still shines.
    Dom Luszczyszyn, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Jesus grins when asked which of the two pushes players harder in training.
    Mario Cortegana, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2026
  • The suspect in a stabbing in Edinburgh, Scotland, grins out a window before his arrest, March 2, 2026.
    Lindsay Quella, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Jemima Kirke glows in a rich green ensemble at a special screening of The Drama in New York City on April 2.
    Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 7 Apr. 2026
  • Hundreds of monarch butterflies are painted across the translucent panels, and when sunlight shines through, the structure glows in rich amber tones.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Wade smiles broadly over the WhatsApp video call, with the beauty of Jamaica’s landscape spreading out behind him.
    Andy Rose, CNN Money, 6 Apr. 2026
  • Laura Linney smiles wide at the premiere of her new comedy American Classic in London on March 31.
    Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 4 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Hayden, working the grill behind her husband, laughs and shakes her head with a slight eye roll the way only a loving wife can.
    Matthew Odam, Austin American Statesman, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Henry takes in Link, who at this point is a teenager and laughs him off.
    Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 30 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Beams.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beams. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.

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