An optimisation of the best first search graph search algorithm where only a predetermined number of paths are kept as candidates. The number of paths is the "width of the beam". If more paths than this are generated, the worst paths are discarded. This reduces the space requirements of best first search.
BEAM SEARCH
Meaning of BEAM SEARCH in English
FOLDOC computer English dictionary. Английский словарь по компьютерам FOLDOC. 2012