Meaning & use
beamers
Last updated
“beamers” is a form of “beamer”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nounpluralinformalslang
BMW cars, especially when considered as status symbols
Grammar: Usually plural in this sense; you say 'a beamer' for one car, but the plural 'beamers' is more common in informal speech.
Patterns
- drive a beamer
- a fleet of beamers
He loves showing off his new beamers.
They rented beamers for the wedding.
All the executives drove beamers.
nounplural
the headlights of a car, especially when they are very bright
Grammar: Plural; usually refers to the bright front lights of a vehicle.
Patterns
- put on the beamers
- the beamers are on
He flashed his beamers to warn the other driver.
The beamers on that truck are blinding.
Word forms
| singular | beamer |
|---|
Common combinations
- drive a beamer
- She drives a beamer to work every day.
- a new beamer
- He just bought a new beamer.
- flash your beamers
- Don't forget to flash your beamers when you park.
Synonyms and how they differ
- BMW
- The official brand name; 'beamer' is informal slang and not used in formal writing.
- headlights
- The standard word for car lights; 'beamers' is informal and less common.
Word family
- beamer noun
- Singular form, meaning one BMW or one headlight.
Commonly confused: beamers or beemer?
beamers vs beemer
An alternative spelling of the same slang word; 'beamer' is more common in British English, 'beemer' in American English.
Practice
He saved up for years to buy one of those fancy ___.
Choose one answer.
The phrase 'one of those' requires a singular noun, so 'beamer' is correct. 'Beamers' is plural and would need 'one of those' to be followed by a plural, which is not the case here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “beamers”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.