Synonyms of beams

beams 1 of 2

noun

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

• rays
• shafts
• sunbeams
• lasers
• spotlights
• moonbeams
• sunbursts

beams

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of beam

1

as in shines

to emit rays of light

a lighthouse has beamed from this site since the 1790s

Synonyms & Similar Words

• shines
• rays
• glows
• flashes
• radiates
• gleams
• flares
• flickers
• flames
• lights
• shimmers
• glimmers
• glitters
• illumines
• burns
• sparkles
• glistens
• twinkles
• fires
• glints
• blazes
• beats (down)
• glares
• illuminates
• luminesces
• irradiates
• winks
• spangles
• scintillates
• lightens
• blinds
• sheens
• brightens
• blinks
• glisters
• lusters
• dazzles
• winkles
• coruscates
• bedazzles
• dazes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• darkens
• lowers
• blackens

2

as in grins

to express an emotion (as amusement) by curving the lips upward

my father beamed when I showed him my new car

Synonyms & Similar Words

• grins
• smiles
• laughs
• smirks
• sneers
• simpers

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• grimaces
• glares
• frowns
• scowls
• lowers
• glowers
• glooms
• pouts
• sulks

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of beams

Noun

Original barn torn down The original barn was torn down and replaced with a rustic white structure with high ceilings, natural wood beams and enough space to accommodate around 200 guests. — Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2026

These structural feats culminate at the building’s center, where arched steel beams span 185 feet over a public plaza — opening to Expo Park and the neighborhood — to frame a 90-foot-diameter oculus, floating four stories up. — Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026

Bo Bardi lifted the building off the ground and suspended its large open gallery from two bright-red beams resting on four oversize columns. — Katy Barkan, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026

Backlit with the beams from a flashlight, a figure came into view inside the leathery sac. — Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026

Vogue Daily Newsletter The sublet, on the second floor of a carriage house in Brooklyn, was all wood beams and exposed brick with two big skylights. — Carla Lalli, Vogue, 31 Aug. 2026

The walls are finished in shiplap, while wooden beams round out the space, giving it a subtly cottage-like appearance. — New Atlas, 30 Aug. 2026

The antlers grew off to the sides of the deer’s head instead of going upward, which contributed to the wide inside spread and long beams. — Richard P. Smith, Outdoor Life, 27 Aug. 2026

Once the house is resting on I-beams, Craig and his crew excavate some more, to put hydraulic jacks under the beams. — Nicola Twilley, New Yorker, 27 Aug. 2026

Verb

The sun beams down as Karen Sterling waits in line for a Talarico rally in Lockhardt on July 28. — Eleanor Dearman updated August 29, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Aug. 2026

Inside Billy’s private movie theater, the projector beams down on the back of Anderson’s head like that infamous Nicole Kidman AMC promo. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026

Starlink beams down broadband to consumers, governments and businesses using more than 10,000 satellites orbiting close above the Earth. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2026

SpaceX has told European officials that the proposal threatens to worsen Starlink Mobile service, which beams data to phones, including those in Ukraine. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 29 July 2026

Octavia Spencer beams from ear to ear at the Ride Or Die special screening in London on June 22. — Brendan Le, PEOPLE, 25 June 2026

Einbinder looks lovingly over at her costar, who beams back at her. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 May 2026

Wade beams as his children describe their meal. — Andy Rose, CNN Money, 6 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