girder
noun
gird·er ˈgər-dər 
: a horizontal main structural member (as in a building or bridge) that supports vertical loads and that consists of a single piece or of more than one piece bound together
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Most of Tribute’s collection, including a steel girder from one of the Towers, has gone to the State Museum in Albany. 
Dominic Green, WSJ, 31 Aug. 2022 Lacking the redundancies, the bridge was in danger of collapsing into the river if the tie girder fractured completely. Noel Oman, Arkansas Online, 11 Nov. 2021 Ironworkers bolt last girder into place, making Sears Tower world’s tallest building until 1997. Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2022 In January, an inspection involved the limited use of ultrasonic testing on five box girder spans west of the main arch spans. Noel Oman, Arkansas Online, 27 Feb. 2022 In the upper left-hand corner is a brilliant blue image of a man on a metal girder. Susan Dunne, Hartford Courant, 3 June 2022 The name of a popular Senegalese herbal remedy, Le Kinkeliba reflects the respect for local traditions that serve as the girder to providing the benefits of western medicine to rural Africans. Rod Berger, Forbes, 2 May 2022 After a 90-degree turn over a box-girder bridge, this optional diversion runs six miles up a side canyon to another dead end. Dan Edmunds, Car and Driver, 29 Apr. 2022 The port awarded a contract in July 2021 to Kiewit West Inc. to dismantle and remove main steel truss spans, steel plate girder approaches, abutments, columns, access ramps, foundations and other pieces of the old bridge, officials said. Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2022 See More
Dominic Green, WSJ, 31 Aug. 2022 Lacking the redundancies, the bridge was in danger of collapsing into the river if the tie girder fractured completely. Noel Oman, Arkansas Online, 11 Nov. 2021 Ironworkers bolt last girder into place, making Sears Tower world’s tallest building until 1997. Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2022 In January, an inspection involved the limited use of ultrasonic testing on five box girder spans west of the main arch spans. Noel Oman, Arkansas Online, 27 Feb. 2022 In the upper left-hand corner is a brilliant blue image of a man on a metal girder. Susan Dunne, Hartford Courant, 3 June 2022 The name of a popular Senegalese herbal remedy, Le Kinkeliba reflects the respect for local traditions that serve as the girder to providing the benefits of western medicine to rural Africans. Rod Berger, Forbes, 2 May 2022 After a 90-degree turn over a box-girder bridge, this optional diversion runs six miles up a side canyon to another dead end. Dan Edmunds, Car and Driver, 29 Apr. 2022 The port awarded a contract in July 2021 to Kiewit West Inc. to dismantle and remove main steel truss spans, steel plate girder approaches, abutments, columns, access ramps, foundations and other pieces of the old bridge, officials said. Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
gird entry 1 (in sense "to surround as with a belt, connect firmly") + -er entry 2
First Known Use
1611, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing girder
Kids Definition
girder
noun
gird·er ˈgər-dər
: a horizontal main supporting beam
a girder of a bridge
girder
noun
1
as in beam
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- beam
- crossbeam
- board
- arbor
- rod
- crossbar
- slab
- billet
- strip
- bar
- band
- ingot
- stick
- bloom
2
as in cantilever
Synonyms & Similar Words
- cantilever
- arch
- bracket
- truss
- pillar
- column
- pedestal
- pilaster
- bolster
- bearing
- stand
- peg
- shoring
- stanchion
- reinforcement
- strut
- mount
- shore
- support
- brace
- prop
- mounting
- frame
- stilt
- foundation
- post
- crutch
- stake
- spur
- stay
- buttress
- underpinning
- base
- conk
- conk (off or out)
- conk (out)
- conk off or out
- conk out
- conkanee hemp
- conked
- conked (off or out)
- conked (out)
- conked off or out
- conked out
- conker
- conkers
- conkies
- conking
- conking (off or out)
- conking (out)
- conking off or out
- conking out
- conks
- conks (off or out)
- conks (out)
- conks off or out
- conks out
- conky