Meaning & use
girders
Last updated
“girders” is a form of “girder”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nounplural
Large, strong beams, usually of steel, that carry the weight of a floor, roof or bridge.
Grammar: Plural of girder: the girders were lifted into place.
Patterns
- girders of steel
- girders supporting something
Workers bolted the steel girders together high above the river.
The old bridge's rusted girders had to be replaced.
Huge girders were delivered to the building site on trucks.
Word forms
| singular | girder |
|---|
Common combinations
- steel girders
- The warehouse roof rests on steel girders.
- support girders
- Support girders run under the whole platform.
- bridge girders
- The bridge girders were painted every five years.
- lift the girders
- A crane lifted the girders into position.
- rusty girders
- Rusty girders showed through the crumbling concrete.
Synonyms and how they differ
- beams
- Beams is the general word for horizontal supports, while girders are the larger main ones that other beams often rest on.
- joists
- Joists are the smaller parallel beams that hold up a floor or ceiling, so they are lighter than girders.
- supports
- Supports is vague and can mean any prop or pillar, but girders are specifically long load-bearing beams.
Word family
Commonly confused: girders or gutters?
girders vs gutters
Gutters carry rainwater from a roof and have nothing to do with structural support, unlike girders.
Practice
Engineers checked the steel ____ under the bridge for rust and cracks.
Choose one answer.
Girders are the main load-bearing beams of a bridge. Gutters carry water and are not part of a bridge's structure.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “girders”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.