debar

American  

[dih-bahr] / dɪˈbɑr /

verb (used with object)

debars, present (3rd person singular) debarred, past participle, past debarring present participle

1. to shut out or exclude from a place or condition.

   to debar all those who are not members.

   Antonyms:

   admit

2. to hinder or prevent; prohibit.

   to debar an action.

   Synonyms:

   interdict

   Antonyms:

   permit

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debar British  

/ dɪˈbɑː /

verb

1. to exclude from a place, a right, etc; bar

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• debarment
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• debarring
  present
• debarred
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• debar
  simple
• debars
  simple
• have debarred
  perfect
• has debarred
  perfect
• am debarring
  progressive
• are debarring
  progressive
• is debarring
  progressive
• have been debarring
  perfect progressive
• has been debarring
  perfect progressive

Past

• debarred
  simple
• had debarred
  perfect
• was debarring
  progressive
• were debarring
  progressive
• had been debarring
  perfect progressive

Future

• will debar
  simple
• will have debarred
  perfect
• will be debarring
  progressive
• will have been debarring
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of debar

1400–50; late Middle English < Middle French, Old French desbarrer to lock out, bar. See de-, bar ¹

Explanation

To debar is to officially bar, ban, or exclude someone from doing something. Debar can also mean to prevent something from happening. If you have a hat club, you can debar anyone who’s not wearing one. If someone is barred from entering, they are prevented from entering. Oddly enough, to debar them means the same thing. If you're debarred from a school, you can no longer attend. If a politician is debarred from office, they've been thrown out. You can also debar events. Eating well and exercising can debar many health problems. This kind of debarring means the same as averting. People try to debar negative things from happening.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

debar debars debarred debarring

It is relatively rare for HHS to debar an NIH grantee.

From Science Magazine ● May 15, 2024

The agency also is seeking to debar the company’s principal officer, Dick Cattani.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 4, 2017

You would think that views like that might just debar you from holding that office, but no.

From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2015

The company said Thursday that it had “not been advised of the intention of any federal agency to suspend or debar the company in connection with the plea agreement.”

From New York Times ● Nov. 16, 2012

They're just dead in earnest to beat the game by the accepted rules of it, which don't debar general crookedness.

From The Son of his Father by Cullum, Ridgwell

The temptation to do this presses heavily on those whose occupations end with daylight and on those multitudes of elderly folk whose chief sorrow now is that age debars them from public service.

From Time Magazine Archive

My scepticism debars me from all firm convictions.

From Without Dogma by Sienkiewicz, Henryk

She therefore repeated her remark slowly and in precisely the same words and tone— “I hope that there is no consideration as to health which debars you from this very desirable exercise, Mr Riddell?”

From The Willoughby Captains by Reed, Talbot Baines

He debars himself from such luxuries as betel-leaf and from visiting his wife.

From The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India - Volume IV of IV Kumhar-Yemkala by Russell, R. V. (Robert Vane)

"Not much; mainly that the manner of your nomination debars his printing your name at the head of his editorial page."

From The Henchman by Luther, Mark Lee

Horowitz criticized the government’s failure early on to use the “Do Not Pay” Treasury Department database, designed to keep government money from going to debarred contractors, fugitives, felons or people convicted of tax fraud.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 11, 2023

The divorced, disgraced, and debarred physician was ready to come out of the shadows: He was an illegal abortionist and had been for more than 35 years and 25,000 procedures.

From Slate ● Jun. 15, 2022

The order stipulates that officials who violate the pledge can be debarred from their post and future lobbying, and possibly sued in civil court.

From The Guardian ● Jan. 28, 2017

The U.N. suspended work with Glocoms in 2013 after a reporter informed it that the World Bank had debarred the company.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 23, 2016

For this doctrine, as may be presumed, he was debarred from all preaching.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

But even when dying, he retained strength and presence of mind enough to dictate a will, debarring his wife from any share in his property, or any part in the education of the child.

From Vineta The Phantom City by Werner, E. T. C. (Edward Theodore Chalmers)

Depend upon my sincerity for this," Defoe answers, "that I am far from debarring you.

From Daniel Defoe by Minto, William

This was ingeniously framed with an appearance of justice, as if debarring from office only those who to rebellion had added perjury.

From The Negro and the Nation A History of American Slavery and Enfranchisement by Merriam, George Spring

No longer the lean ascetic, debarring his soul of her rightful pleasures; but embracing all the joys of life, and combining pleasure with knowledge.

From The Browning Cyclop?dia A Guide to the Study of the Works of Robert Browning by Berdoe, Edward

But now, how immeasurably worse than poverty was his condition!—disgrace, dishonour,—irrevocable, perhaps inexpiable,—possibly debarring him from ever claiming his rights!

From Nevermore by Bolderwood, Rolf