barred
Americanadjective
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provided with one or more bars.
a barred prison window.
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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.
While body armor is legal for most Americans to own, felons with a history of violence are barred from possessing it.
From Los Angeles Times • May 30, 2026
They also make it exceedingly difficult for pro se petitioners filing on their own behalf to strategize the best approach and avoid being procedurally barred.
From Slate • May 29, 2026
US permanent residents who have traveled through or stayed in those countries within the past 21 days are temporarily barred from entering the United States under restrictions initially set to last 30 days.
From Barron's • May 27, 2026
Turkish media reported that Kilicdaroğlu's representatives had requested the police carry out "necessary procedures" to hand over the headquarters to the new leadership, claiming they had so far been barred entry.
From BBC • May 24, 2026
Magdalys gazed down the long wall of barred cell doors.
From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older
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.
