barrier

American  

[bar-ee-er] / ˈbær i ər /

noun

• barriers
  plural

1. 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

2. any natural bar or obstacle.

   a mountain barrier.

   Synonyms:

   impediment, hindrance, obstruction

3. anything that restrains or obstructs progress, access, etc..

   a trade barrier.

   Synonyms:

   impediment, hindrance, obstruction

4. a limit or boundary of any kind.

   the barriers of caste.

5. Physical Geography. an Antarctic ice shelf or ice front.

6. barrier beach.

7. History/Historical. barriers, the palisade or railing surrounding the ground where tourneys and jousts were carried on.

8. Archaic. a fortress or stockade.

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barrier British  

/ ˈbærɪə /

noun

1. anything serving to obstruct passage or to maintain separation, such as a fence or gate

2. anything that prevents or obstructs passage, access, or progress

   a barrier of distrust

3. anything that separates or hinders union

   a language barrier

4. 1. an exposed offshore sand bar separated from the shore by a lagoon

   2. ( as modifier )

      a barrier beach

5. (sometimes capital) that part of the Antarctic icecap extending over the sea

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Synonym Usage

See bar ¹.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• barriers
  plural

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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

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Explanation

Barriers are walls, either physical or metaphorical. They can block movement — the Great Wall of China was a barrier to block invading forces from entering. A window shade is a light barrier. Failing English is a barrier to getting into Harvard. When people are being excluded from joining a clique, you could say that the clique has erected a social barrier. When fighter jets fly faster than the speed of sound, they break through what feels like a wall in the sky called the sound barrier. The Green Monster at Fenway Park keeps Boston Red Sox fans from being able to watch games from outside the stadium — it's a barrier to sight. But when line drives hit the Green Monster, bouncing the ball back into left field, the Green Monster acts also a barrier to easy home runs.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

barrier barriers

The activists made it on to the site by scaling barrier fences despite a police presence.

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026

Tiffany Feder, Dahan’s attorney, told reporters after the hearing that voter forms were mailed to Dahan’s home, and were confusing given her language barrier.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026

One major obstacle is the blood-brain barrier, a protective system that limits which substances can enter the brain from the bloodstream.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2026

But Nike had since fallen behind competitors like Adidas, whose runners wore an ultralight offering to shatter the two-hour marathon barrier in London last April.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026

The squatters considered the Muscogee Nation to be the main barrier to their permanent settlement in the region, particularly Georgia.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

And the policy is connected to the important state interests of protecting children from discriminatory barriers to publicly funded preschool education.

From Slate ● Nov. 4, 2026

In many states, ABA companies face little oversight and there are few barriers for entry.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026

These include "barriers that undermine American trade and investment and practices that pose a threat to US national security and foreign policy interests", a US statement said.

From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026

The couple were accused of removing road barriers and obstructing police officers in Islamabad - charges that both have denied.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

Intriguingly, the chess tables crossed class barriers: One might find Wall Street bankers playing against homeless men from Skid Row, or Ivy Leaguers facing down high school dropouts.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

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Related Words

• barricade
• blockade
• boundary
• fence
• hurdle
• impediment
• limit
• obstacle
• railing
• roadblock
• wall

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