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.
Because Mr. Petro was constitutionally barred from running for a consecutive second term, his Pacto Histórico party put up Sen. Iván Cepeda as its presidential candidate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
Sherrone Moore continued to lead the team, even after the athletic director grew suspicious of the relationship and barred him from traveling with his executive assistant.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Besigye's other lead lawyer, Kenya's Martha Karua, was barred from entering the country when she flew in to represent him last month.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
A breastfeeding boss has been barred from a business course run by online retailer Amazon because it would not let her child on to the site.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 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.
