adverb / adjective
abeam
uh-BEEM/əˈbim/
Directly to the side of a ship or aircraft, at right angles to its length.
A small fishing boat appears abeam on our right side.
Etymology
Abeam literally means 'on beam': a ship's beams run across its width rather than along its length. Something abeam lies in that crosswise direction, at a right angle to the vessel's length.
More examples
- The lighthouse is directly abeam of the ferry.
- The pilot watches another aircraft pass abeam.
- Keep the buoy abeam until we finish the turn.
Similar words
- alongside
- Means beside something without requiring an exact right-angle position.
- abreast
- Describes side-by-side alignment, often while moving together.