high beam
5
3.5
- noun
- /haɪ bim/
- US
:
luz alta
- As she drove down the dark road, she turned on her high beams to see further ahead.
- high beam headlights
- car's high beams
- automatic high beams
And, you know, I had my high beams on them.
- And, you know, I had my high beams on them.
Examples
-
The white minivan is flashing its high beams.
Fiction book (1996) -
J.J. Santos stopped some twenty yards behind, blinking his high beams.
Fiction book (1994) -
And, you know, I had my high beams on them.
-
Does this thing have high beams?
-
My girlfriend claimed to have never used the high beams in her car because she never went anywhere that dark.
Blog text (27) -
I have fog lights, high beams, low beams, and driving lights on my car.
Blog text (34) -
Headlights go on high beam.
Fiction book (1998) -
The car flicked its high beams and pulled off the road at an angle in front of him, forcing him to stop.
Fiction book (2002) -
The Minnesota Court of Appeals today upheld your right to flash high beams at oncoming drivers.
Blog text (34) -
The dumpster shone dazzling white in the glare of high beams as the truck extended its metal arms and edged forward, guiding those arms into their slots.
Fiction book (1990)
Synonyms
A bright car light that shines far and should be used only when no other cars are ahead
A very bright car light that can blind other drivers and is used when no cars are nearby
A bright car light that shines straight ahead and should only be used when no other cars are near
A strong front light on a car used when no other cars come because it can blind drivers
Antonyms
How Bright
- US
5
3.5
- US
1
3.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a bright, far-reaching setting of vehicle headlights' is directly derivable from 'high' (indicating greater intensity or extent) combined with 'beam' (a shaft of light). This noun compound follows ordinary compositional patterns and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.
Etymology
High beam comes from car headlights where a beam is a strong line of light and high shows the light was aimed up to reach far ahead. That is why high beam means the bright, far-reaching headlight setting used to 'see far', but it can 'blind' other drivers so you must switch it off when someone is coming.