bar

[ bahr ]

/ bɑr /

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noun

a relatively long, evenly shaped piece of some solid substance, as metal or wood, used as a guard or obstruction or for some mechanical purpose: the bars of a cage.

an oblong piece of any solid material: a bar of soap; a candy bar.

the amount of material in a bar.

an ingot, lump, or wedge of gold or silver.

a long ridge of sand, gravel, or other material near or slightly above the surface of the water at or near the mouth of a river or harbor entrance, often constituting an obstruction to navigation.

anything that obstructs, hinders, or impedes; obstacle; barrier: a bar to important legislation.

a counter or place where beverages, especially liquors, or light meals are served to customers: a snack bar; a milk bar.

a barroom or tavern.

(in a home) a counter, small wagon, or similar piece of furniture for serving food or beverages: a breakfast bar.

the legal profession.

the practicing members of the legal profession in a given community.

any tribunal: the bar of public opinion.

a band or strip: a bar of light.

a railing in a courtroom separating the general public from the part of the room occupied by the judges, jury, attorneys, etc.

a crowbar.

Music.

Also called bar line . the line marking the division between two measures of music.
double bar.
the unit of music contained between two bar lines; measure.

Ballet. barre.

Law.

an objection that nullifies an action or claim.
a stoppage or defeat of an alleged right of action.

Typography. a horizontal stroke of a type character, as of an A, H, t, and sometimes e.

Architecture. (in tracery) a relatively long and slender upright of stone treated as a colonette or molded.

Building Trades.

an iron or steel shape: I-bar.
a muntin.

Military. one of a pair of metal or cloth insignia worn by certain commissioned officers.

bars, the transverse ridges on the roof of the mouth of a horse.

a space between the molar and canine teeth of a horse into which the bit is fitted.

(in a bridle) the mouthpiece connecting the cheeks.

bride² (def. 1).

Heraldry. a horizontal band, narrower than a fess, that crosses the field of an escutcheon.

Obsolete. a gateway capable of being barred.

verb (used with object), barred, bar·ring.

to equip or fasten with a bar or bars: Bar the door before retiring for the night.

to block by or as if by bars: The police barred the exits in an attempt to prevent the thief's escape.

to prevent or hinder: They barred her entrance to the club.

to exclude or except: He was barred from membership because of his reputation.

to mark with bars, stripes, or bands.

preposition

except; omitting; but: bar none.

OTHER WORDS FOR bar

1 rod, pole.

5 shoal, reef, bank, sand bar.

6 deterrent, stop.

7 saloon, cocktail lounge.

30, 31 obstruct, deter, impede, barricade.

32 drop.

See synonyms for bar on Thesaurus.com

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Idioms about bar

at bar, Law.

before the court and being tried: a case at bar.
before all the judges of a court: a trial at bar.

behind bars, in jail: We wanted the criminal behind bars.

Origin of bar

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English barre, barr, bar, from Old French, from unattested Vulgar Latin barra “rod,” of obscure, perhaps pre-Latin, origin

synonym study for bar

6. Bar, barrier, barricade mean something put in the way of advance. Bar has the general meaning of hindrance or obstruction: a bar across the doorway. Barrier suggests an impediment to progress or a defensive obstruction (natural or artificial): a trade barrier; a mountain barrier; a road barrier. A barricade is especially a pile of articles hastily gathered or a rude earthwork for protection in street fighting: a barricade of wooden boxes.

OTHER WORDS FROM bar

barless, adjectivebar·ra·ble, adjectiveun·bar·ra·ble, adjective

Other definitions for bar (2 of 7)

bar²

[ bahr ]

/ bɑr /

noun

mosquito net.

Origin of bar

First recorded in 1770–80; from Louisiana French bère, baire, apparently representing dialect pronunciation of French barre “barrier, rod”; see bar¹

Other definitions for bar (3 of 7)

bar³

[ bahr ]

/ bɑr /

noun Physics.

a centimeter-gram-second unit of pressure, equal to one million dynes per square centimeter.

(formerly) microbar. Abbreviation: b

Origin of bar

First recorded in 1900–05; from Greek báros “weight”; cf. barometer, isobar

Other definitions for bar (4 of 7)

BAR

abbreviation

Browning automatic rifle.

Other definitions for bar (5 of 7)

bar.

abbreviation

barometer.

barometric.

barrel.

barrister.

Other definitions for bar (6 of 7)

Bar.

abbreviation Bible.

Baruch.

Other definitions for bar (7 of 7)

B.Ar.

abbreviation

Bachelor of Architecture.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bar in a sentence

Right up that canyon about two mile is whar Welborn found the b'ar cubs.
David Lannarck, Midget|George S. Harney
"Yo' all shore come a-lookin' for b'ar," he opined, taking the glass which Trask thrust out at him.
Isle o' Dreams|Frederick F. Moore
Mr. Kent followed suit but Dum kept "loaded fur b'ar," as she expressed it.
At Boarding School with the Tucker Twins|Nell Speed
"The very man—our valued acquaintance and fellow citizen, Ike Chubbers, 'half wild hoss and half grizzly b'ar,'" chuckled Harry.
The Pike's Peak Rush|Edwin L. Sabin

I air a man o' peace, but when anybody says 'fight,' I can riz on my hind legs as quick as ary b'ar.
The Pike's Peak Rush|Edwin L. Sabin

British Dictionary definitions for bar (1 of 7)

bar¹

/ (bɑː) /

noun

a rigid usually straight length of metal, wood, etc, that is longer than it is wide or thick, used esp as a barrier or as a structural or mechanical parta bar of a gate

a solid usually rectangular block of any materiala bar of soap

anything that obstructs or prevents

an offshore ridge of sand, mud, or shingle lying near the shore and parallel to it, across the mouth of a river, bay, or harbour, or linking an island to the mainland
US and Canadian an alluvial deposit in a stream, river, or lake

a counter or room where alcoholic drinks are served

a counter, room, or establishment where a particular range of goods, food, services, etc, are solda coffee bar; a heel bar

a narrow band or stripe, as of colour or light

a heating element in an electric fire

(in England) the area in a court of law separating the part reserved for the bench and Queen's Counsel from the area occupied by junior barristers, solicitors, and the general publicSee also Bar

the place in a court of law where the accused stands during his trialthe prisoner at the bar

a particular court of law

British (in the House of Lords and House of Commons) the boundary where nonmembers wishing to address either House appear and where persons are arraigned

a plea showing that a plaintiff has no cause of action, as when the case has already been adjudicated upon or the time allowed for bringing the action has passed

anything referred to as an authority or tribunalthe bar of decency

Also called: measure music

a group of beats that is repeated with a consistent rhythm throughout a piece or passage of music. The number of beats in the bar is indicated by the time signature
another word for bar line

British insignia added to a decoration indicating a second award
US a strip of metal worn with uniform, esp to signify rank or as an award for service

a variant spelling of barre

sport See crossbar

gymnastics See horizontal bar

part of the metal mouthpiece of a horse's bridle
the space between the horse's teeth in which such a part fits

either of two horny extensions that project forwards and inwards from the rear of the outer layer of a horse's hoof

See crowbar, glazing-bar

lacemaking needlework another name for bride 2

heraldry an ordinary consisting of a horizontal line across a shield, typically narrower than a fesse, and usually appearing in twos or threes

maths a superscript line ⁻ placed over a letter symbol to indicate, for example, a mean value or the complex conjugate of a complex number

behind bars in prison

won't have a bar of or wouldn't have a bar of Australian and NZ informal cannot tolerate; dislike

verb bars, barring or barred (tr)

to fasten or secure with a barto bar the door

to shut in or out with or as if with barriersto bar the entrances

to obstruct; hinderthe fallen tree barred the road

(usually foll by from) to prohibit; forbidto bar a couple from meeting

(usually foll by from) to keep out; excludeto bar a person from membership

to mark with a bar or bars

law to prevent or halt (an action) by showing that the claimant has no cause

to mark off (music) into bars with bar lines

preposition

except forthe best recital bar last night's

bar none without exception

Word Origin for bar

C12: from Old French barre, from Vulgar Latin barra (unattested) bar, rod, of unknown origin

British Dictionary definitions for bar (2 of 7)

bar²

/ (bɑː) /

noun

a cgs unit of pressure equal to 10 6 dynes per square centimetre. 1 bar is equivalent to 10 5 newtons per square metre

Word Origin for bar

C20: from Greek baros weight

British Dictionary definitions for bar (3 of 7)

bar³

/ (bɑː) Southwest English dialect /

noun

immunity from being caught or otherwise penalized in a game

interjection

a cry for such immunity

Word Origin for bar

variant of barley ²

British Dictionary definitions for bar (4 of 7)

Bar

/ (bɑː) /

noun the Bar

(in England and elsewhere) barristers collectively

US the legal profession collectively

be called to the Bar British to become a barrister

be called within the Bar British to be appointed as a Queen's Counsel

British Dictionary definitions for bar (5 of 7)

BAR

abbreviation for

Browning Automatic Rifle

British Dictionary definitions for bar (6 of 7)

Bar-

/ (bar, bɑː) /

prefix

(before Jewish patronymic names) son ofBar-Kochba

British Dictionary definitions for bar (7 of 7)

bar.

abbreviation for

barometer

barometric

barrel (container or unit of measure)

barrister

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 bar

bar

[ bär ]

A unit used to measure atmospheric pressure. It is equal to a force of 100,000 newtons per square meter of surface area, or 0.987 atmosphere.

An elongated, offshore ridge of sand, gravel, or other unconsolidated sediment, formed by the action of waves or long-shore currents and submerged at least during high tide. Bars are especially common near the mouths of rivers or estuaries.

A ridgelike mound of sand, gravel or silt formed within a stream, along its banks, or at its mouth. Bars form where the stream's current slows down, causing sediment to be deposited.

Other Idioms and Phrases with bar

bar

In addition to the idiom beginning with bar

bare bones
bare hands, with one's
bare necessities
bare one's soul
bare one's teeth
barge in
bar none

also see:

behind bars
no holds barred

bar

OTHER WORDS FOR bar

Idioms about bar

Origin of bar

synonym study for bar

OTHER WORDS FROM bar

Other definitions for bar (2 of 7)

Origin of bar

Other definitions for bar (3 of 7)

Origin of bar

Other definitions for bar (4 of 7)

Other definitions for bar (5 of 7)

Other definitions for bar (6 of 7)

Other definitions for bar (7 of 7)

Words related to bar

How to use bar in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bar (1 of 7)

Word Origin for bar

British Dictionary definitions for bar (2 of 7)

Word Origin for bar

British Dictionary definitions for bar (3 of 7)

Word Origin for bar

British Dictionary definitions for bar (4 of 7)

British Dictionary definitions for bar (5 of 7)

British Dictionary definitions for bar (6 of 7)

British Dictionary definitions for bar (7 of 7)

Scientific definitions for bar

Other Idioms and Phrases with bar