Meaning & use
wooden beam
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A long, thick piece of wood used to support a structure or carry weight.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a wooden beam' or 'wooden beams'.
Patterns
- a wooden beam
- wooden beams
- a wooden beam in/on something
The old barn had heavy wooden beams across the ceiling.
Workers replaced the damaged wooden beam with a steel one.
A wooden beam fell from the roof during the storm.
Word forms
| plural | wooden beams |
|---|
Common combinations
- heavy wooden beam
- They used a heavy wooden beam to support the floor.
- exposed wooden beam
- The exposed wooden beams give the room a rustic look.
- wooden beam ceiling
- The wooden beam ceiling was painted white.
- support beam
- The support beam was made of wood.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- beam noun
- A long, heavy piece of wood, metal, or stone used in building.
Commonly confused: wooden beam or board?
wooden beam vs board
A board is a thin, flat piece of wood, often used for surfaces; a beam is thicker and used for support.
Practice
The roof is held up by a large ___ that runs across the room.
Choose one answer.
'Wooden beam' is the correct choice because a beam is a strong support. 'Board' and 'plank' are flat and thin, and 'stick' is too small to support a roof.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “wooden beam”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.