barrier
Americannoun
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anything built or serving to bar passage, as a railing, fence, or the like.
People may pass through the barrier only when their train is announced.
- Synonyms:
- impediment, hindrance, obstruction, wall, palisade
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any natural bar or obstacle.
a mountain barrier.
- Synonyms:
- impediment, hindrance, obstruction
-
anything that restrains or obstructs progress, access, etc..
a trade barrier.
- Synonyms:
- impediment, hindrance, obstruction
-
a limit or boundary of any kind.
the barriers of caste.
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Physical Geography. an Antarctic ice shelf or ice front.
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History/Historical. barriers, the palisade or railing surrounding the ground where tourneys and jousts were carried on.
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Archaic. a fortress or stockade.
noun
-
anything serving to obstruct passage or to maintain separation, such as a fence or gate
-
anything that prevents or obstructs passage, access, or progress
a barrier of distrust
-
anything that separates or hinders union
a language barrier
-
-
an exposed offshore sand bar separated from the shore by a lagoon
-
( as modifier )
a barrier beach
-
-
(sometimes capital) that part of the Antarctic icecap extending over the sea
Related Words
See bar 1.
Etymology
Origin of barrier
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Middle French barriere ( barre bar 1 + -iere, from Latin -āria -ary ); replacing Middle English barrere, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin barrera
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The team suggests that therapies designed to remove IL-10-negative Treg cells in colorectal cancer might also work against these other cancers that arise in barrier tissues.
From Science Daily
And, it keeps barriers up to give corporations the upper hand in the industry.
From Salon
Out on the sidewalk and behind barriers, lookie-loos crane their necks for a peek at the competitors, while pin traders mill through the churning crowd in hopes of making a souvenir swap.
From Los Angeles Times
Qualified applicants for the Clean Cars 4 All program must meet those same income requirements, but they also must have an eligible vehicle to trade in — another barrier for lower-income Californians, cycling advocates argue.
From Los Angeles Times
The Jordan Valley to the east acts as a buffer, its steep slopes forming a barrier against invasion.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
