parallel bars

Save This Word!

noun

(used with a plural verb) a gymnasium apparatus consisting of two wooden bars on uprights, adjustable in height, and used for swinging, vaulting, balancing exercises, etc.

(used with a singular or plural verb) a competitive event for men on such an apparatus.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of parallel bars

First recorded in 1865–70

Words nearby parallel bars

paralipsis, parallactic ellipse, parallactic motion, parallax, parallel, parallel bars, parallel circuit, parallel cousin, parallel cousin marriage, parallelepiped, parallel evolution

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use parallel bars in a sentence

Prosecutors wanted him to spend at least 10 years behind bars.
Abramoff’s Advice for Virginia’s New Jailhouse Guv|Tim Mak, Jackie Kucinich|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He later accepted a plea deal that put him behind bars for 25 years.
An Informant, a Missing American, and Juarez’s House of Death: Inside the 12-Year Cold Case of David Castro|Bill Conroy|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Yet we keep doing the cleanses, buying the meal replacement bars, and joining Weight Watchers.
Why Your New Year’s Diet Will Fail|Carrie Arnold|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Bars love to tell those stories: ‘So and so drank here, and George Washington slept here,’” Sismondo says.
The Bars That Made America Great|Nina Strochlic|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST

When you look at the history of bars in America, they would tell people who to vote for, and they would.
The Bars That Made America Great|Nina Strochlic|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I queried; and as I asked the question I noticed for the first time the gilt bars on his coat sleeve.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
In this Isthmus is port royal, where we are now sojourning, lying on the parallel of 44 40'.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
We'll keep parallel with these gentlemen, and if they get out of touch with the rest we'll make a try at nailing them.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
Where the stone wall had to be left open for bar-ways, to drive through, he went to work and nailed up the bars.
Dorothy at Skyrie|Evelyn Raymond
Their home from the outside looked like a prison, with iron bars before the door and lower windows.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin

British Dictionary definitions for parallel bars

parallel bars

pl n

gymnastics

(functioning as plural) a pair of wooden bars on uprights, sometimes at different heights, for various exercises
(functioning as singular) an event in a gymnastic competition in which competitors exercise on such bars

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012