noun
- horizontal structural beams that support floors or ceilings
Usage: construction; architecture
Examples
- The carpenter installed new joists to support the second floor.
- We could hear footsteps through the old wooden joists above us.
- The contractor spaced the floor joists sixteen inches apart.
- Steel joists are stronger than wooden ones for large buildings.
- The ceiling joists were exposed in the rustic cabin design.
- Water damage had weakened several joists in the basement ceiling.