BEAMS Synonyms: 65 Similar and Opposite Words

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

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beams

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of beam

as in shines

to emit rays of light a lighthouse has beamed from this site since the 1790s

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in grins

to express an emotion (as amusement) by curving the lips upward my father beamed when I showed him my new car

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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

Built from the bones of a 12th-century hostelry, its hub is a vast, glamorous lounge bar complete with mixologists shaking modern-day mocktails under the ancient beams. —

Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 May 2026 Fathers protecting newborns Wind roars with such force the steel beams supporting the hospital’s top floors twist 4 inches. —

Kansas City Star, 22 May 2026 The closures began in late May while bridge beams were installed on the new bridge for travelers southbound on I-294 over westbound I-290. —

Melinda Moore, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2026 The Idaho Transportation Department unveiled its preferred design to replace the historic Rainbow Bridge on Idaho 55 with a through arch bridge featuring high orange beams, two 12-foot lanes and 14-foot shoulders. —

Chadd Cripe. Produced With Ai Assistance, Idaho Statesman, 22 May 2026 New scientific discoveries Neutron scattering is a powerful method used to study the structure and behavior of materials at the atomic and nanoscale levels using neutron beams. —

Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 20 May 2026 The available 5-cm-thick (2-in) multi-piece mattress sets up atop longitudinal support beams that secure to the pegboard. —

C.c. Weiss may 19, New Atlas, 19 May 2026 These tawny shapes look otherworldly, particularly when midday light beams shine through. —

Stephanie Vermillion, Travel + Leisure, 17 May 2026 The house has been preserved to highlight some of the more old-world aspects—spot wood beams, stone floors, and aqua window frames in nearly every room—for a taste of traditional Cycladic style. —

Elly Leavitt, Vogue, 14 May 2026

Verb

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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for beams

Noun

That matters because the gas inside galaxy clusters constantly radiates energy away in X-rays and should gradually cool over time, and scientists suspect energy released by supermassive black holes, known as AGN feedback, helps reheat that gas and prevent runaway cooling.

— Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 20 May 2026
Each of the 22 rays is represented in the primary somatosensory cortex by a distinct morphological module — a stripe of tissue identifiable under cytochrome oxidase staining, arranged in a pattern that mirrors the star’s geometry.

— Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026