horizontal bar

American  

noun

Gymnastics.

1. a bar fixed in a position parallel to the floor or ground, for use in chinning and other exercises.

2. an event in gymnastic competitions, judged on strength and grace while performing specific movements on such a bar.

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horizontal bar British  

noun

1. Also called: high bar.  gymnastics a raised bar on which swinging and vaulting exercises are performed

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Etymology

Origin of horizontal bar

First recorded in 1820–30

Example Sentences

Dan used a horizontal bar lined with LED lights that kept my eyes dancing and darting as he prompted me to recall a distressing childhood memory.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026

“We” was printed on the back on top of a horizontal bar and the word “me.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 22, 2025

However, the closest of them all was the men’s horizontal bar gymnastics final, where Japan’s Shinnosuke Oka and Colombia’s Angel Barajas were barely inseparable.

From BBC • Aug. 11, 2024

The agent had to grab a horizontal bar as well, doing so with his left hand across his body.

From Washington Post • Dec. 1, 2022

The Maya used a dot to signify one and a horizontal bar to signify five; the number nineteen would thus be three bars and four dots.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann