bare

¹ American  

[bair] / bɛər /

adjective

barer, barest

1. without covering or clothing; naked; nude.

   bare legs.

   Synonyms:

   undressed

2. without the usual furnishings, contents, etc..

   bare walls.

   Synonyms:

   barren, empty, stark, plain

3. open to view; unconcealed; undisguised.

   his bare dislike of neckties.

4. unadorned; bald; plain.

   the bare facts.

5. (of cloth) napless or threadbare.

6. scarcely or just sufficient; mere.

   the bare necessities of life.

7. Obsolete. with the head uncovered; bareheaded.

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verb (used with object)

bared, baring

1. to open to view; reveal or divulge.

   to bare one's arms; to bare damaging new facts.

   Synonyms:

   expose, uncover

bare ² American  

[bair] / bɛər /

verb

Archaic.

1. simple past tense of bear.

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bare ¹ British  

/ bɛə /

adjective

1. unclothed; exposed: used esp of a part of the body

2. without the natural, conventional, or usual covering or clothing

   a bare tree

3. lacking appropriate furnishings, etc

   a bare room

4. unembellished; simple

   the bare facts

5. (prenomial) just sufficient; mere

   he earned the bare minimum

6. without a weapon or tool

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verb

1. (tr) to make bare; uncover; reveal

bare ² British  

/ bɛə /

verb

1. archaic a past tense of bear 1

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Usage

What else does bare mean? Bare is UK slang for very or lots of.

Related Words

Bare, stark, barren share the sense of lack or absence of something that might be expected. Bare, the least powerful in connotation of the three, means lack of expected or usual coverings, furnishings, or embellishments: bare floor, feet, head. Stark implies extreme severity or desolation and resultant bleakness or dreariness: a stark landscape; a stark, emotionless countenance. Barren carries a strong sense of sterility and oppressive dullness: barren fields; a barren relationship. See mere ¹.

Other Word Forms

• bareness noun
• barish adjective

Etymology

Origin of bare

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English bær; cognate with Old Frisian ber, Dutch baar, Old Saxon, Old High German, German bar, Old Norse berr; akin to Armenian bok “naked,” Lithuanian bãsas, Russian bosóĭ “barefoot”

Explanation

When you kick off your shoes to walk on the beach, you are enjoying the feeling of your bare feet in the warm sand. The adjective bare describes something or someone that is naked or unclothed. Bare can be used in many different ways: to describe the inside of your nearly-empty refrigerator, an uncarpeted floor, or your unadorned, sparsely decorated bedroom. The word bare can also be used as a verb meaning "to uncover or expose." When you reveal deep truths about yourself to another person — imagine confessing your passion for stamp collecting to a girl you like — you "bare your soul."

Example Sentences

The move laid bare a strategy that Silicon Valley has been perfecting for years: ditch the tech-sceptics of the traditional press, and build your own media.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

The cupboard is bare, underscoring just how indispensable Kane is.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

Yet for Washington’s dealers, the prospect of putting franchise laws up for a popular vote laid bare a tough reality: given the choice, many car buyers want the freedom to avoid dealerships.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026

I often wonder about the psychological effect on participants as their lives are laid bare for all to see.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

Her bare feet move in sequences that would put every TikTok dancer to shame.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Related Words

• arid
• barren
• bleak
• desolate
• empty
• stark
• vacant