Meaning & use
plate girder
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountabletechnical
A large steel beam built from flat plates welded or riveted together, used to support bridges and heavy buildings.
Grammar: Countable: one plate girder, two plate girders.
Patterns
- a plate girder bridge
- a steel plate girder
The new bridge rests on four massive plate girders.
Engineers chose a plate girder design because the span was too long for a simple rolled beam.
Each plate girder was lifted into place by a crane at night.
Word forms
| plural | plate girders |
|---|
Common combinations
- steel plate girder
- The roof is held up by steel plate girders.
- plate girder bridge
- A plate girder bridge crosses the river near the old mill.
- welded plate girder
- Welded plate girders are cheaper to make than riveted ones.
- span between plate girders
- The span between plate girders is about twelve meters.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
Commonly confused: plate girder or girder?
plate girder vs girder
Girder alone can mean any big support beam, while plate girder refers only to the type assembled from flat steel plates.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'plate girder' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A plate girder is a large steel support beam, so it fits in a construction context. The other options treat it as a plate of food, a singer, or a written text, which are not its meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “plate girder”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.