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to beam down

to beam down

3 5.3
A satellite or aircraft that sends signals down to the ground
  • phrasal verb
  • Specialized
translation icon : transmitir
  • radio signals beamed down

Examples

  • Close enough to beam down?

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Captain Kirk is beaming down to the to the surface of the planet, OK?

  • Transporter room, stand by to beam down.

  • ln the meantime, Captain Chekov, l instruct you and your first officer to beam down to my coordinates.

  • "Our experts predict that we could beam energy down from orbit at a fraction of the cost of current sources." "What's wrong with that?" Adrian asked.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • The satellite will beam down the latest weather data to ground stations this afternoon.

  • Scientists plan to beam down a series of high-definition images from the space probe.

  • The television station will beam down the live broadcast of the event from the helicopter.

Synonyms

to beam
vsto beam down
346 3.7

To send a television or radio show to many people

is focused on sending signals downward to ground or lower receivers
to downlink
vsto beam down
  • Specialized
1 6.3

To send data from a satellite to a ground station or device

is specifically about transmitting downward to ground or lower receivers

Antonyms

to receive
  • Specialized
271 2.2

To take in signals or information

How Widely

to beam down
  • Specialized
3 5.3
to downlink
  • Specialized
1 6.3

Surface Forms

beam down infinitive
beamed down past participle
beaming down present participle
beams down third person singular

Morphology

beam + down

The verb 'beam' (to shine/send out) combined with 'down' (toward a lower level) directly suggests sending or shining something downward, so a learner who knows both words can infer a sense of transmitting downward. However, the specific technical sense of broadcasting data/signals (rather than literal light) is a metaphorical extension and may not be fully predictable without prior exposure, so the expression is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Beam down comes from the picture of a satellite sending a thin beam straight down to the ground, so it means 'send a signal or data downward'.