barred
Americanadjective
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provided with one or more bars.
a barred prison window.
-
striped; streaked.
barred fabrics.
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Ornithology. (of feathers) marked with transverse bands of distinctive color.
Etymology
Origin of barred
Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at bar 1, -ed 3
Explanation
Something that is barred prevents your entry. If you are trying to sneak into your friend's house, avoid the barred windows. To be barred is to be blocked from entrance or not allowed to do something — as if there were imaginary bars in your path. The adjective barred comes from the noun bar, and it's easy to remember if you picture the classic barred cell where inmates are confined. Barred can also describe something that is marked with bars, like a barred owl.
Vocabulary lists containing barred
The Voice That Challenged a Nation
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RBG's Brave & Brilliant Women
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Kareem Between
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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.
A High Court judge barred the operation of any Ebola facility in Kenya by any foreign government until the case is heard.
From BBC • May 29, 2026
He essentially owes his position as president to Sonko, his one-time mentor who would almost certainly have taken the top job had he not been barred from the presidential election due to a defamation conviction.
From Barron's • May 26, 2026
Uganda has barred buses, taxis and motorcycle taxis from crossing the Congo border and banned flights to and from Congolese airports.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 24, 2026
Under the deal, the United States is “forever barred and precluded” from a range of actions including audits against Trump, the settlement paperwork showed.
From MarketWatch • May 20, 2026
He had wanted to enlist in the army, to fight in World War I, but he had been barred because of a recent surgery.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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.
