bar
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.
bar
1 American
[bahr]
/ bɑr /
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.
- Synonyms:
- cocktail lounge, saloon
-
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.
-
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.
-
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)
-
bars,
present (3rd person singular)
-
barred,
past participle, past
-
barring
present participle
-
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.
- Synonyms:
- drop
-
to mark with bars, stripes, or bands.
preposition
idioms
-
behind bars, in jail.
We wanted the criminal behind bars.
-
at bar,
-
before the court and being tried.
a case at bar.
-
before all the judges of a court.
a trial at bar.
-
bar
2
American
[bahr]
/ bɑr /
noun
bar
3
American
[bahr]
/ bɑr /
noun
Physics.
-
a centimeter-gram-second unit of pressure, equal to one million dynes per square centimeter.
-
(formerly) microbar. b
BAR
4
American
abbreviation
bar.
5
American
abbreviation
-
barometer.
-
barometric.
-
barrel.
-
barrister.
Bar.
6
American
abbreviation
Bible.
B.Ar.
7
American
abbreviation
Bar-
1
British
/ bɑː, bar /
prefix
bar
2
British
/ bɑː /
noun
BAR
3
British
abbreviation
bar
4
British
/ 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 part
a bar of a gate
-
a solid usually rectangular block of any material
a 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
-
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 sold
a 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 public See also Bar
-
the place in a court of law where the accused stands during his trial
the prisoner at the bar
-
a particular court of law
-
(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 tribunal
the 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
-
-
-
insignia added to a decoration indicating a second award
-
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
-
in prison
-
informal cannot tolerate; dislike
verb
-
to fasten or secure with a bar
to bar the door
-
to shut in or out with or as if with barriers
to bar the entrances
-
to obstruct; hinder
the fallen tree barred the road
-
(usually foll by from) to prohibit; forbid
to bar a couple from meeting
-
(usually foll by from) to keep out; exclude
to 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 for
the best recital bar last night's
-
without exception
bar.
5
British
abbreviation
-
barometer
-
barometric
-
barrel (container or unit of measure)
-
barrister
bar
6
British
/ bɑː /
noun
interjection
Bar
7
British
/ bɑː /
noun
-
(in England and elsewhere) barristers collectively
-
the legal profession collectively
-
to become a barrister
-
to be appointed as a Queen's Counsel
bar
Scientific
/ 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.
bar
More Idioms
Synonym Usage
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 Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
barsimple
-
barssimple
-
have barredperfect
-
has barredperfect
-
am barringprogressive
-
are barringprogressive
-
is barringprogressive
-
have been barringperfect progressive
-
has been barringperfect progressive
Past
-
barredsimple
-
had barredperfect
-
was barringprogressive
-
were barringprogressive
-
had been barringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
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”; see bar 1
Origin of bar3
First recorded in 1900–05; from Greek báros “weight”; cf. barometer, isobar
Explanation
If you bar a college student from entering a bar because he's too young to drink, it means that you prevent him from going into an establishment that serves alcoholic beverages. Bar is one of those handy words with many different meanings. There's the kind of bar where you order coffee or a drink. There is also the bar that a bartender keeps close at hand in case she needs a weapon when patrons get rowdy — like a long piece of metal. And when you bar something, you make it inaccessible in some way. The word bar comes from the French word barre, which means "beam, gate, or barrier."
Vocabulary lists containing bar
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Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Selection Vocabulary 3, Unit 1
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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.
See Examples For:
Down the street at D’s Thirsty Beaver bar, Danielle Rees is doing a test run on serving breakfast.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Bars today aren’t simply competing with the bar down the street.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
Perhaps the most noticeable edit on bar and restaurant menus in the past decade has been the addition of drinks with either little or no alcohol.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
Pardilla remembers bar hopping as a routine weekend activity.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
The cold from the metal bar seeps through the tape wrapped around it.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Two other candidates - Formula Eagle, led by former BAR team boss Craig Pollock, and Pantera Team Asia - were ruled out at an earlier stage.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2023
Cargill asked the British company BAR Technologies to design a sail for cargo ships.
From NewsForKids.net ● Sep. 6, 2023
“These components will have to pass a BAR inspection with a certified state inspector and these vehicles will either need to be confirmed or corrected so that they’re street legal.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2023
BAR HARBOR, Maine — The National Park Service approved the first entrance fee increase in five years for Acadia National Park, officials said Tuesday.
From Washington Times ● Mar. 28, 2023
But the opening of the door only revealed a tiny venetian blind, drawn down and bearing the legend, BAR CLOSED.
From A Knight on Wheels by Ian Hay
“Then we went to the far north side of Chicago to a Lithuanian neighborhood to play some grizzled old guys upstairs at the top of an old, smoky bar. They creamed us.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
"There will be another nacho bar. Grander, bigger. That's going to be my centre-piece," she said.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026
"The method we currently use to assess vision in dogs is a very low bar. In humans, it would be equivalent to saying yes or no if a person was blind," says Mowat.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 18, 2024
“Everton has set a bar. People say it is too harsh. I don’t think it is having studied the ruling,” sports lawyer Chris Farnell told The Associated Press.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 24, 2023
“Ahhhthe Justice said softly and looked slowly around the room, once again ending with an inspection of the man behind the bar. “
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
“First meeting the Primal Scream boys at the Milk Bar. Hot Soho streets and cold glasses of beer.”
From The Guardian ● Jul. 7, 2020
“The night was called Rattenbar: Rat Bar. And there he was,” Tillmans has said.
From The New Yorker ● Sep. 3, 2018
“There he is, Bar. Terry. He’s the one,” Bush playfully told his wife.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 18, 2018
“There were always 15 to 20 people around in front of the Water Bar. You would have thought they were drinking vodka martinis or something,” said Steve Drew, director of Greensboro’s water system.
From Washington Times ● Mar. 20, 2016
“There’s this new girl at the Bean Bar. She says French is the language of love. And that’s why she refuses to speak it.”
From "Goodbye Stranger" by Rebecca Stead
Bar- raged by questions about rising interest rates, living costs and labor demands, he replied: "You don't expect us to walk across the street and tell you fellows that things are bad, do you?"
From Time Magazine Archive
To check his memory, Bar- ton asked if there had been a telephone in the White House office.
From Time Magazine Archive
Actually, Stanley had been impressed when he first found out that his great-grandfather was robbed by Kissin' Kate Bar- low.
From "Holes" by Louis Sachar
A special prize was given every year to Miss Katherine Bar- low for her fabulous spiced peaches.
From "Holes" by Louis Sachar
Or will it be someone I would never suspect, Ser Bar- ristan or Grey Worm or Missandei?
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Created at the University of Reading, it was named the Reading 100 Chocolate Bar to mark the university's 100th anniversary.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Thirsty Beijingers have another option: free AI for customers at AGI Bar, which opened last summer as a hub for developers, founders and investors.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
Sanchez also revealed to the outlet that Bezos has a space-themed bar dubbed the Kármán Line Bar located on the West Texas ranch.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
The State Bar of California said all immigrants seeking representation should ensure the contact information for any lawyer matches what is on its website.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
It’s Fred’s Bar, on the last corner before the bridge into town.
From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King
Rees moved to Maysville last year from Florida, after driving through the area and deciding on a lark to see if there were any bars for sale.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Photos showed 49 gold bars laid out on a table at the construction site and hundreds of gold coins collected in the builders’ bucket.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Gabi Bradbury, who has been sober for three years, described much the same life: bars, concerts, festivals and nights out with friends, only without alcohol in her glass.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
Before Friday's release, Foro Penal said more than 350 political prisoners remained behind bars.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
I was so tired that I had eaten only chocolate bars, five or six of them every day, and spoonfuls of Eskimo ice cream.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
The law, which was due to take effect on September 1, would have barred younger users from social networks such as TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram, among other restrictions.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
When you first step into South Hall, to your immediate right is “the bubble”—a barred enclosure fitted with chairs, a desk, a telephone, and a microwave.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
The states had also asked for a preliminary injunction, which would have barred Paramount from completing its acquisition while the antitrust lawsuit wound its way through court.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Only a handful of states, including Massachusetts and Hawaii, have barred marital status as a rating factor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
Several cages had been toppled, their barred metal doors swinging in the morning breeze.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
Beyond barring U.S. access, loss of a visa is widely viewed as raising suspicions about a politician’s character — a major reason, observers say, why few Mexican lawmakers acknowledge being stripped of visas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Frequently, when states pass laws barring transgender athletes from competition, the result can feel overwhelmingly personal to those affected, since the number of people excluded in a given state can be counted on your fingers.
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026
Based on these assets and income sources, I believe we should have enough to live comfortably, barring any significant unforeseen medical expenses later in life.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 8, 2026
Logan said that current interest rates were not sufficiently restrictive on economic activity, and that barring an "unanticipated shock" inflation was likely to continue to trend above target.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
We arrived at Nyame’s palace to see animated statues barring the giant doors.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
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.
