meeting beam headlamp
- noun
- UK
:
faros de cruce
- When approaching another car at night, switch your headlights to the meeting beam headlamp setting.
Examples
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The meeting beam headlamp must be used whenever there is oncoming traffic.
-
The meeting beam headlamp is designed to avoid blinding other drivers.
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European cars are required to have a properly aligned meeting beam headlamp for safety.
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Always use your meeting beam headlamp when driving at night.
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When driving at night, it's important to use a meeting beam headlamp to avoid dazzling oncoming drivers.
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The driver switched to the meeting beam headlamp as another car approached to ensure everyone's safety.
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In urban areas with frequent traffic, the meeting beam headlamp setting helps maintain visibility without disrupting others.
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 light on a car that makes a low beam to light the road without hurting other drivers' eyes
A headlight set to point down to avoid blinding other drivers
How Bright
- US
5
3.5
- UK
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is largely compositional—'beam' and 'headlamp' clearly refer to a lamp's light, and 'meeting' can be inferred to mean 'used when meeting other vehicles'—so a learner can partly reconstruct the sense. However, 'meeting' here is a technical, eventive modifier and the specific automotive collocation ('meeting beam' = dipped/low beam) is specialized and not fully predictable from ordinary noun senses, so it may not be immediately clear to a B1 learner without exposure.
Etymology
The term meeting beam headlamp comes from early driving practice: when two cars meet, drivers lowered the beam so the light would not blind the other driver. So it means a headlight setting that gives enough light for the road without dazzling other drivers.