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View synonyms for bar

bar

1

[ bahr ]

noun

  1. 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.

    Synonyms: pole, rod

  2. an oblong piece of any solid material:

    a bar of soap;

    a candy bar.

  3. the amount of material in a bar.
  4. an ingot, lump, or wedge of gold or silver.
  5. 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.

    Synonyms: sandbar, bank, reef, shoal

  6. anything that obstructs, hinders, or impedes; obstacle; barrier:

    a bar to important legislation.

    Synonyms: stop, deterrent

  7. a counter or place where beverages, especially liquors, or light meals are served to customers:

    a snack bar;

    a milk bar.

    Synonyms: cocktail lounge, saloon

  8. a barroom or tavern.
  9. (in a home) a counter, small wagon, or similar piece of furniture for serving food or beverages:

    a breakfast bar.

  10. the legal profession.
  11. the practicing members of the legal profession in a given community.
  12. any tribunal:

    the bar of public opinion.

  13. a band or strip:

    a bar of light.

  14. a railing in a courtroom separating the general public from the part of the room occupied by the judges, jury, attorneys, etc.
  15. Music.
    1. Also called bar line. the line marking the division between two measures of music.
    2. the unit of music contained between two bar lines; measure.
  16. Ballet. barre.
  17. Law.
    1. an objection that nullifies an action or claim.
    2. a stoppage or defeat of an alleged right of action.
  18. Typography. a horizontal stroke of a type character, as of an A, H, t, and sometimes e.
  19. Architecture. (in tracery) a relatively long and slender upright of stone treated as a colonette or molded.
  20. Building Trades.
    1. an iron or steel shape:

      I-bar.

  21. Military. one of a pair of metal or cloth insignia worn by certain commissioned officers.
  22. bars, the transverse ridges on the roof of the mouth of a horse.
  23. a space between the molar and canine teeth of a horse into which the bit is fitted.
  24. (in a bridle) the mouthpiece connecting the cheeks.
  25. Heraldry. a horizontal band, narrower than a fess, that crosses the field of an escutcheon.
  26. Obsolete. a gateway capable of being barred.


verb (used with object)

, barred, bar·ring.
  1. to equip or fasten with a bar or bars:

    Bar the door before retiring for the night.

  2. to block by or as if by bars:

    The police barred the exits in an attempt to prevent the thief 's escape.

    Synonyms: barricade, impede, obstruct, deter

  3. to prevent or hinder:

    They barred her entrance to the club.

    Synonyms: impede, obstruct, barricade, deter

  4. to exclude or except:

    He was barred from membership because of his reputation.

    Synonyms: drop

  5. to mark with bars, stripes, or bands.

preposition

  1. except; omitting; but:

    bar none.

bar

2

[ bahr ]

bar

3

[ bahr ]

noun

, Physics.
  1. a centimeter-gram-second unit of pressure, equal to one million dynes per square centimeter.
  2. (formerly) microbar. : b

BAR

4

abbreviation for

bar.

5

abbreviation for

  1. barometer.
  2. barometric.
  3. barrel.
  4. barrister.

Bar.

6

abbreviation for

, Bible.
  1. Baruch.

B.Ar.

7

abbreviation for

  1. Bachelor of Architecture.

Bar-

1

/ bɑː; bar /

prefix

  1. (before Jewish patronymic names) son of

    Bar-Kochba

“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


BAR

2

abbreviation for

  1. Browning Automatic Rifle
“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

bar.

3

abbreviation for

  1. barometer
  2. barometric
  3. barrel (container or unit of measure)
  4. 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

Bar

4

/ bɑː /

noun

  1. (in England and elsewhere) barristers collectively
  2. the legal profession collectively
  3. be called to the Bar
    to become a barrister
  4. be called within the Bar
    to be appointed as a Queen's Counsel
“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

bar

5

/ bɑː /

noun

  1. immunity from being caught or otherwise penalized in a game
“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

interjection

  1. a cry for such immunity
“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

bar

6

/ bɑː /

noun

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

bar

7

/ bɑː /

noun

  1. 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 part

    a bar of a gate

  2. a solid usually rectangular block of any material

    a bar of soap

  3. anything that obstructs or prevents
    1. 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
    2. an alluvial deposit in a stream, river, or lake
  4. a counter or room where alcoholic drinks are served
  5. a counter, room, or establishment where a particular range of goods, food, services, etc, are sold

    a heel bar

    a coffee bar

  6. a narrow band or stripe, as of colour or light
  7. a heating element in an electric fire
  8. (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 public See also Bar
  9. the place in a court of law where the accused stands during his trial

    the prisoner at the bar

  10. a particular court of law
  11. (in the House of Lords and House of Commons) the boundary where nonmembers wishing to address either House appear and where persons are arraigned
  12. 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
  13. anything referred to as an authority or tribunal

    the bar of decency

  14. Also calledmeasure music
    1. 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
    2. another word for bar line
    1. insignia added to a decoration indicating a second award
    2. a strip of metal worn with uniform, esp to signify rank or as an award for service
  15. a variant spelling of barre
  16. sport See crossbar
  17. gymnastics See horizontal bar
    1. part of the metal mouthpiece of a horse's bridle
    2. the space between the horse's teeth in which such a part fits
  18. either of two horny extensions that project forwards and inwards from the rear of the outer layer of a horse's hoof
  19. lacemaking needlework another name for bride 2
  20. heraldry an ordinary consisting of a horizontal line across a shield, typically narrower than a fesse, and usually appearing in twos or threes
  21. maths a superscript line ⁻ placed over a letter symbol to indicate, for example, a mean value or the complex conjugate of a complex number
  22. behind bars
    in prison
  23. won't have a bar of or wouldn't have a bar of informal.
    cannot tolerate; dislike
“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

verb

  1. to fasten or secure with a bar

    to bar the door

  2. to shut in or out with or as if with barriers

    to bar the entrances

  3. to obstruct; hinder

    the fallen tree barred the road

  4. usually foll by from to prohibit; forbid

    to bar a couple from meeting

  5. usually foll by from to keep out; exclude

    to bar a person from membership

  6. to mark with a bar or bars
  7. law to prevent or halt (an action) by showing that the claimant has no cause
  8. to mark off (music) into bars with bar lines
“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

preposition

  1. except for

    the best recital bar last night's

  2. bar none
    without exception
“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

bar

/ bär /

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.


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Other Words From

  • barless adjective
  • barra·ble adjective
  • un·barra·ble adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of bar1

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

Origin of bar2

First recorded in 1770–80; from Louisiana French bère, baire, apparently representing dialect pronunciation of French barre “barrier, rod”; bar 1

Origin of bar3

First recorded in 1900–05; from Greek báros “weight”; barometer, isobar
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Word History and Origins

Origin of bar1

variant of barley ²

Origin of bar2

C20: from Greek baros weight

Origin of bar3

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

Idioms
  1. at bar, Law.
    1. before the court and being tried:

      a case at bar.

    2. before all the judges of a court:

      a trial at bar.

  2. behind bars, in jail:

    We wanted the criminal behind bars.

More idioms and phrases containing bar

In addition to the idiom beginning with bar , also see behind bars ; no holds barred .
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Synonym Study

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.
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Example Sentences

Few foods occupy your mind without requiring your full focus quite like sunflower seedsI don’t remember my first string cheese or Kudos bar or Fig Newton, but for some reason, sunflower seeds and I have an origin story.

From Eater

On Google-powered devices you can also swipe up from the bottom and hold to see recently used apps, or swipe left or right along the home bar at the foot of the display to quickly jump between open apps.

Finally, regulators and lawmakers should trust bars and restaurants to responsibly offer cocktails-to-go.

From Fortune

Of course, I still enjoyed being able to drink at a bar, but I recognized this custom was different now.

From Ozy

With its classic bar and varied rooms, the whole place is simply beguiling.

I took out my knife, my Ka-Bar, and knocked his teeth out, but they fell into his throat.

You might work on the same groove for five hours nonstop, some three-bar thing over and over.

The bar also claims that it hosted the first-ever poetry slam 28 years ago.

A sepia photo shows him as a young boy, head in his hands, with a large book open at a bar table.

His later books drew heavily from experiences and people he encountered at the bar, including the cruel captain in The Sea-Wolf.

But you will find most colleges and most college societies bar religious instruction and discussion.

Ogden Hoffman, a distinguished member of the New York bar, died, aged 62.

The mosquito bar was drawn over her; the old woman had come in while she slept and let down the bar.

And when three come, me and Maud was on the Bar Y road where it goes acrosst that crick-bottom.

If dat preacher goes to run a bar agin me,” he says, “py golly, I makes no more moneys!

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Related Words

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.

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