high beam

American  

Or highbeam

noun

1. an automobile headlight beam providing bright, long-range illumination of a darkened road and chiefly for use in driving in nonurban areas.

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Etymology

Origin of high beam

First recorded in 1935–40

Compare meaning

How does high-beam compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• high beam vs. low beam

Example Sentences

A high beam from a helicopter shone down on the crowd.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2025

A violinist who plays on a high beam, sometimes balancing on one leg, became disoriented after jumping off the beam and hit her head hard against it.

From New York Times • Jul. 14, 2022

Ideally, it will come standard to more vehicles instead of being locked behind a paywall like BMW has done for its auto high beam feature.

From The Verge • Feb. 17, 2022

Bertsch responded by speeding after Blanchard’s truck, tailgating, flashing his high beam headlights and continuing to follow the truck, even as it made turns onto other roads.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 17, 2021

I said, “Sure!” then ran over and jumped up onto the high beam, which was taller than I was at the time.

From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles