bare

[ bair ]

See synonyms for: bare bared barest bares on Thesaurus.com

adjective,bar·er, bar·est.

without covering or clothing; naked; nude: bare legs.
without the usual furnishings, contents, etc.: bare walls.

open to view; unconcealed; undisguised: his bare dislike of neckties.
unadorned; bald; plain: the bare facts.
(of cloth) napless or threadbare.
scarcely or just sufficient; mere: the bare necessities of life.
Obsolete. with the head uncovered; bareheaded.

verb (used with object),bared, bar·ing.

to open to view; reveal or divulge: to bare one's arms; to bare damaging new facts.

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”

synonym study For bare

2. 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. 6. See mere¹.

Other words for bare

1	undressed
2	plain, stark, empty, barren
8	uncover, expose

See synonyms for bare on Thesaurus.com

Opposites for bare

covered

See antonyms for bare on Thesaurus.com

Other words from bare

barish, adjective
bareness, noun

Other definitions for bare (2 of 2)

bare²

[ bair ]

verbArchaic.

simple past tense of bear¹.

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

How to use bare in a sentence

That’s the bare minimum that would be needed to pass such legislation if all Democrats voted in favor.
Senate Republicans fume as Mnuchin gives ground to Pelosi in search of deal | Erica Werner, Jeff Stein | October 22, 2020 | Washington Post
When the bare tunnels are completed, which could happen any day now, TBC will have earned just over 30% of the total.
Elon Musk’s Las Vegas Loop might only carry a fraction of the passengers it promised | David Riggs | October 16, 2020 | TechCrunch
After all, Conway was known for solving math problems “with his bare hands.”
Celebrating the Playful Magic of John Horton Conway | Pradeep Mutalik | October 15, 2020 | Quanta Magazine
They compared the air temperature just above the vines’ surface to that just above the bare wall.
Changing climates can take cooling tips from warm regions | Sharon Oosthoek | October 8, 2020 | Science News For Students
For more than a century, the state has required its major courts be roughly balanced, so that no more than a bare majority of a court is made up of members of one political party.
Fittingly, Supreme Court term starts with test of political affiliations for judges | Robert Barnes | October 5, 2020 | Washington Post

A man tracks her back to a building where the girl bares her fangs and devours him, reversing the role of predator.
The Punk Behind Iran's Only Vampire Spaghetti Western-Style Love Story | Melissa Leon | November 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Oliver bares his soul as he highlights comments in which he is compared to a parrot and knocked for mocking an unremarkable soda.
Viral Video of the Day: John Oliver Reads Your YouTube Comments | Alex Chancey | September 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
In ZDT, the actual raid on Osama bin Laden bares more resemblance to a surgical procedure than an all-out military assault.
From ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ to ‘Medal of Honor’ Video Game: The SEAL Team Six Gift Guide | Benjamin Schor | December 19, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
The legendary Who guitarist bares his soul in his raw new memoir.
Speed Read: 11 Most Shocking Moments From Pete Townshend’s ‘Who I Am’ | Abby Haglage | October 8, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
In his new 500-page memoir, Pete Townshend, quixotic songwriter/guitarist for The Who, bares his soul.
Speed Read: 11 Most Shocking Moments From Pete Townshend’s ‘Who I Am’ | Abby Haglage | October 8, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
Egidius bares him next, and next Sylvester, And follow both the bridegroom; so the bride Can please them.
The Vision of Paradise, Complete | Dante Alighieri
The whole island yields each year about 600 bares of cloves, of which half, or a little less, is secured by the Dutch.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898: Volume XVIII, 1617-1620 | Various
In the island of Bachan they have a garrisoned fortress; more than a hundred bares of cloves are shipped thence each year.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898: Volume XVIII, 1617-1620 | Various
In the island of Maquian they have three garrisoned fortresses; and 1,200 bares of cloves are gathered there each year.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898: Volume XVIII, 1617-1620 | Various
They gather there Masatrella nutmegs to the amount of more than 1,600 bares each year.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898: Volume XVIII, 1617-1620 | Various

British Dictionary definitions for bare (1 of 2)

bare¹

/ (bɛə) /

adjective

unclothed; exposed: used esp of a part of the body
without the natural, conventional, or usual covering or clothing: a bare tree

lacking appropriate furnishings, etc: a bare room
unembellished; simple: the bare facts
(prenomial) just sufficient; mere: he earned the bare minimum
with one's bare hands without a weapon or tool

verb

(tr) to make bare; uncover; reveal

Origin of bare

Old English bær; compare Old Norse berr, Old High German bar naked, Old Slavonic bosǔ barefoot

Derived forms of bare

bareness, noun

British Dictionary definitions for bare (2 of 2)

bare²

/ (bɛə) /

verb

archaic a past tense of bear 1

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

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