Beam

A little boy finishes his first painting and shows it to his mother. She looks at the messy colours and uneven shapes, but instead of criticising, her face lights up. Her eyes shine, her lips curl into a wide, warm smile, and the whole room seems brighter because of her joy. She does not say a word, but her happiness is written all over her face. What is the mother doing with her expression? She is beaming (being radiant) with pride.

Beam means to smile with great joy, to be radiant. Shine, by contrast, means to give out bright light, whether from the sun, a lamp, or a polished surface. So, beam focuses on a person’s joyful, glowing expression. Shine focuses on the physical act of emitting light. In other words, a mother beams at her child’s success; the sun shines in the sky.