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abeam

American  
[uh-beem] / əˈbim /

adverb

  1. Nautical, Aeronautics. at right angles to the fore-and-aft line.

    The vessel was sailing with the wind directly abeam.

  2. directly abreast the middle of a ship's side.


abeam British  
/ əˈbiːm /

adverb

  1. (postpositive) at right angles to the length and directly opposite the centre of a vessel or aircraft

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of abeam

First recorded in 1830–40; a- 1 + beam

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

She could have taken the blow of a colliding ship on bow, quarter or abeam and remained afloat, or even made her way to port.

From Scientific American • Apr. 11, 2012

When I come to a stop, we're abeam each other, about 3 feet apart.

From Salon • Jun. 11, 2010

The big blow hit the Williamsburg directly abeam as she turned into narrow Windward Passage between Haiti and Cuba.

From Time Magazine Archive

As New Jersey�s Palisades passed abeam to port, I took the wheel on the bridge and set our speed at 17 knots, then settled into one of the two deeply padded Devine helm chairs.

From Time Magazine Archive

England and the Kingdom, Britain and the Empire, the old prides and the old devotions, glide abeam, astern, sink down upon the horizon, pass - pass.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall