crowbar

American  

[kroh-bahr] / ˈkroʊˌbɑr /

noun

1. Also called crow.  a steel bar, usually flattened and slightly bent at one or both ends, used as a lever.

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verb (used with object)

crowbarred, crowbarring

1. to pry open, loosen, etc., with a crowbar.

   We had to crowbar a window to get in.

crowbar British  

/ ˈkrəʊˌbɑː /

noun

1. a heavy iron lever with one pointed end, and one forged into a wedge shape

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Etymology

Origin of crowbar

1740–50, crow ¹ + bar ¹; so called because one end was beak-shaped

Example Sentences

Last September, Ríhanna Kelver was standing outside the Crowbar & Grill in Laramie, Wyoming, preparing to start her bartending shift, when she noticed a group of men across the street.

From Slate • Jun. 4, 2026

A gas station, post office, general store and the Crowbar Café & Saloon anchor the town.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 5, 2026

At Crowbar, a concert venue in Tampa, owner Tom DeGeorge has been forced to raise prices on everything from tickets to drinks at the bar.

From Washington Post • Mar. 10, 2022

Tom DeGeorge runs the popular Crowbar club in Tampa, Florida, that once hosted about 300 concerts a year, mostly touring bands.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 26, 2021

His cheeks were drawn, his face was white, but he was sober then — In times of trouble, fire, and flood, 'twas Crowbar led the men.

From In the Days When the World Was Wide and Other Verses by Lawson, Henry

Related Words

• chisel
• lever