MEANING
A beam or other structural projection supported at one end and extending freely at the other.
Use it for
dramatic projections; modern buildings; apparent imbalanceExplain why a balcony or roof seems to float.
Words that belong together
- concrete cantilever
- cantilever balcony
- supported by a cantilever
On the page
The balcony rested on a concrete cantilever above the pavement.
From below, the roof's cantilever seemed impossibly thin.
A crack near the fixed end of the cantilever stopped the renovation.
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- cantilever
Usage notes
Primary category: architecture. Not every overhang is a cantilever; the unsupported projection is the defining feature. Count noun: cantilevers. Secondary verb: cantilever, cantilevers, cantilevered, cantilevered, cantilevering.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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