barrier
Americannoun
-
anything built or serving to bar passage, as a railing, fence, or the like.
People may pass through the barrier only when their train is announced.
- Synonyms:
- impediment, hindrance, obstruction, wall, palisade
-
any natural bar or obstacle.
a mountain barrier.
- Synonyms:
- impediment, hindrance, obstruction
-
anything that restrains or obstructs progress, access, etc..
a trade barrier.
- Synonyms:
- impediment, hindrance, obstruction
-
a limit or boundary of any kind.
the barriers of caste.
-
Physical Geography. an Antarctic ice shelf or ice front.
-
History/Historical. barriers, the palisade or railing surrounding the ground where tourneys and jousts were carried on.
-
Archaic. a fortress or stockade.
noun
-
anything serving to obstruct passage or to maintain separation, such as a fence or gate
-
anything that prevents or obstructs passage, access, or progress
a barrier of distrust
-
anything that separates or hinders union
a language barrier
-
-
an exposed offshore sand bar separated from the shore by a lagoon
-
( as modifier )
a barrier beach
-
-
(sometimes capital) that part of the Antarctic icecap extending over the sea
Related Words
See bar 1.
Etymology
Origin of barrier
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Middle French barriere ( barre bar 1 + -iere, from Latin -āria -ary ); replacing Middle English barrere, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin barrera
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.
The difference between $3.98 per gallon and $4.02 per gallon is minimal in practice, but the jump is a bit of a psychological barrier for consumers that could weigh on optimism and spending.
From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026
To mimic the conditions of a rocket ascent, they launched the missile and, after it broke the sound barrier, triggered the abort system.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026
While Oracle’s pivot to infrastructure-as-a-service will carry lower margins than the company’s software-as-a-service business, Moerdler noted that Oracle’s differentiated hardware capabilities can create a barrier to entry.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026
According to the union, 86% of teachers responding said insufficient staff was a barrier to inclusion, followed by 73% who identified workload as a barrier.
From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026
And sometimes you break a barrier that no one knew existed, and then everything you knew before crossing the line is gone.
From "Breadcrumbs" by Anne Ursu
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.
