passing beam headlamp
- noun
- UK
:
faros de cruce
- You should switch to the passing beam headlamp when approaching oncoming traffic at night.
Examples
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The passing beam headlamp helps prevent glare for other drivers on the road.
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Many cars now come with passing beam headlamps as standard equipment.
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She replaced her car’s passing beam headlamp after noticing it was not working properly.
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The new passing beam headlamp design reduces glare for oncoming traffic.
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You should switch to the passing beam headlamp when approaching oncoming traffic at night.
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The passing beam headlamp helps prevent glare for other drivers on the road.
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Many cars now come with passing beam headlamps as standard equipment.
Synonyms
1
3.7
A headlight setting that lights the road without blinding other drivers
A front light on a car that shines low to avoid blinding other drivers
A light setting that lights the road ahead without blinding other drivers
A headlight setting that lights the road without blinding other drivers
How Bright
Surface Forms
Morphology
The words 'beam' and 'headlamp' transparently indicate a lamp that produces a directed light, so a learner will likely infer it is a type of car lamp. However, 'passing' here is technical jargon (meaning the dipped/low beam used to avoid glare) rather than the everyday sense of overtaking, so the precise meaning is not fully predictable without exposure to automotive vocabulary.
Etymology
Passing beam headlamp means a car headlamp that uses a passing beam, a light set low when you meet another car. Picture the beam lowered so the light 'passes' under the other driver's eyes and does not cause 'glare', so that's why it means a headlight giving a 'dipped' or 'low' beam to avoid blinding others.