Meanings
prepositional phrase
- UKdatedIn a parlous or destitute state.
Origin
By analogy with a capsizing ship; see usage note at beam-ends.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
on one's beam ends. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20one's%20beam%20ends
MLA
“on one's beam ends.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20one's%20beam%20ends. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “on one's beam ends,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20one's%20beam%20ends.
Source: on one's beam ends on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.