1. a horizontal beam used to prevent two other structural members from spreading apart or separating; - Example: "he nailed the rafters together with a tie beam" [syn: tie, tie beam]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
tie beam
n 1: a horizontal beam used to prevent two other structural
members from spreading apart or separating; "he nailed the
rafters together with a tie beam" [syn: tie, tie beam]