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Ar

1

or Ar.

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abbreviation
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Other definitions for Ar (2 of 11)

Ar2

Symbol, Chemistry.

Other definitions for Ar (3 of 11)

AR

abbreviation
annual return.
Arkansas (approved especially for use with zip code).
Army Regulation; Army Regulations.

Other definitions for Ar (4 of 11)

ar-

variant of ad- before r: arrears.

Other definitions for Ar (5 of 11)

-ar1

variant of the adjective-forming suffix -al1, joined to words in which an l precedes the suffix: circular; lunar; singular.

Origin of -ar

1
<Latin -āris; replacing Middle English -er<Anglo-French, Old French <Latin -āris

Other definitions for Ar (6 of 11)

-ar2

variant of -er2, often under the influence of a spelling with -ar- in a cognate Latin noun: burglar; cellar; collar; mortar; poplar; scholar; vicar; vinegar.

Other definitions for Ar (7 of 11)

-ar3

variant of -er1 on the model of -ar2, used in the formation of nouns of agency: liar; beggar.

Other definitions for Ar (8 of 11)

ar.

abbreviation
arrival.
arrive; arrives.

Other definitions for Ar (9 of 11)

a.r.

abbreviation
Insurance. all risks.

Other definitions for Ar (10 of 11)

A/R

or a/r


account receivable.
accounts receivable.

Other definitions for Ar (11 of 11)

A.R.

abbreviation
annual return.
Army Regulation; Army Regulations.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

ABOUT THIS WORD

What else does AR mean?

AR can stand for hundreds of things, but here are three of the big ones: augmented reality, alternate reality, and ArmaLite rifle.

How do you pronounce AR?

[ ey-ahr ]

Where does AR come from?

Augmented reality is similar to virtual reality, except instead of immersing the user into a simulated environment, it enhances (augments) an existing environment around them, usually digitally. Potential applications range from education to medicine.

An early, analog AR example was Morton Heilig’s 1950s Sensorama cinema. Heilig would hide in a movie theater and administer vibrations and smells to enhance the viewing experience. It is unconfirmed what he would use to create the smells.

The phrase augmented reality emerged by 1992, with the abbreviation AR following after. AR is familiar to many when watching football on television, with the technology used to add a first-down line on screens. AR exploded into public consciousness in 2016, with the world’s favorite pastime (for a month) Pokemon Go, which mapped digital creatures on real-world maps.

Alternate reality is the concept of universes that coexist alongside the one we’re all in. Since the mid-20th century, physicists—such as Erwin Schrödinger, of cat fame—have considered the possibilities of parallel universes, or alternate realities, sometimes abbreviated as AR.

A final AR is found in AR-15. First created and designated in the 1950s, the AR-15 is a semi-automatic rifle that we’re all too tragically familiar with due to its use in mass shootings—or, less darkly, video games. Contrary to popular belief, the AR does not stand for assault rifle but ArmaLite Rifle after the company that first made it.

How is AR used in real life?

Techies and educators alike are very excited about the potential of AR. It can bring hard-to-imagine things to life. Alongside VR for virtual reality, AR is commonly used as a jargon abbreviation in the tech industry and startup communities.

Rick and Morty fans will be all too familiar with the concept of alternate realities, as it’s a key concept that underpins the popular cartoon.

Outside of discussion of theoretical alternate realities, alternate reality is used as a figure of speech to characterize someone who is in such denial of the facts that it’s as if they are living in an alternate reality. The abbreviation AR is more likely to be found in scientific contexts.

AR-15 often comes up in discussions in gun control, especially after mass shootings in the United States.

More examples of AR:

“Onshape lets engineers collaborate on 3D designs with Magic Leap’s AR glasses”
—Dean Takahashi, Venture Beat (headline), October, 2018

Note

This content is not meant to be a formal definition of this term. Rather, it is an informal summary that seeks to provide supplemental information and context important to know or keep in mind about the term’s history, meaning, and usage.

How to use Ar in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for Ar (1 of 6)

ar

the internet domain name for
Argentina

British Dictionary definitions for Ar (2 of 6)

Ar

the chemical symbol for
argon

British Dictionary definitions for Ar (3 of 6)

AR

abbreviation for
Arkansas
Autonomous Region
Also: A/R (in the US and Canada) accounts receivable

British Dictionary definitions for Ar (4 of 6)

-ar

suffix forming adjectives
of; belonging to; likelinear; polar; minuscular

Word Origin for -ar

via Old French -er from Latin -āris, replacing -ālis (-al 1) after stems ending in l

British Dictionary definitions for Ar (5 of 6)

a.r.

abbreviation for
anno regni

Word Origin for a.r.

Latin: in the year of the reign

British Dictionary definitions for Ar (6 of 6)

Ar.

abbreviation for
Arabia(n)
Also: Ar Arabic
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for Ar

Ar

The symbol for argon.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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