unbar
Americanverb (used with object)
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unbars,
present (3rd person singular)
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unbarred,
past participle, past
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unbarring
present participle
verb
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to take away a bar or bars from
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to unfasten bars, locks, etc, from (a door); open
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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unbarsimple
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unbarssimple
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have unbarredperfect
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has unbarredperfect
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am unbarringprogressive
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are unbarringprogressive
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is unbarringprogressive
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have been unbarringperfect progressive
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has been unbarringperfect progressive
Past
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unbarredsimple
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had unbarredperfect
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was unbarringprogressive
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were unbarringprogressive
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had been unbarringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of unbar
First recorded in 1300–50, unbar is from the Middle English word unbarren. See un- 2, bar 1
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.
See Examples For:
Claudius has made himself a monarch again, standing at the head of a shrieking horde of desperate peasantry who believe he can unbar the door to that heavenly place.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 11, 2025
Etym., débacler, French, to unbar, to break up as a river does at the cessation of a long-continued frost.
From Principles of Geology or, The Modern Changes of the Earth and its Inhabitants Considered as Illustrative of Geology by Sir Charles Lyell
“She is within and safe; Natalya is with her,” came Yossof’s quavering voice, as he labored to unbar the gates.
From The Red Symbol by John Ironside
Mother rose quickly to her feet; kissed me fervently, and then, without delay, as if understanding that it was not well to prolong the parting, began to unbar the shutter.
From On the Kentucky Frontier A Story of the Fighting Pioneers of the West by James Otis
As for the retainers, they waited for no order to unbar the gate for Mirliflor, being all eagerness to facilitate his departure.
From In Brief Authority by F. Anstey
The book’s final moments are breathless, if suspiciously flimsy—it isn’t until the very last sentence that Monk unbars “the great gate” and is freed.
From Slate ● Mar. 22, 2017
Will the sun forget to streak Eastern skies with amber ray, When the dusky shades to break He unbars the gates of day?
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
But when the night-wind wakes and thrills The shadows that the night unbars, Their music fills the dreamy hills, And folds the friendly stars.
From The Home Book of Verse — Volume 2 by Burton Egbert Stevenson
Money unbars all doors but heaven's, and Medway has plenty of money.
From A Song of a Single Note A Love Story by Amelia Edith Huddleston Barr
When she hears that it is Mak she unbars the door, but when she sees what her husband brings she is afraid.
From English Literature for Boys and Girls by H. E. (Henrietta Elizabeth) Marshall
As a result, its classification was changed from unbarred spiral galaxy to barred spiral galaxy.
From Salon ● Apr. 23, 2022
Eventually, we decided that my father would not recover, and so, instead of continuing to try to stave off death, we unbarred the door and began to wait.
From The New Yorker ● Feb. 5, 2017
In both barred and unbarred spiral galaxies, we observe a range of different shapes.
From Textbooks ● Oct. 13, 2016
Handel’s vocal writing can be fiercely demanding, nowhere more so than in the Angel’s opening aria, “Be unbarred, ye gates of Avernus,” in which Liv Redpath, a soprano, displayed lovely tone and fine agility.
From New York Times ● Dec. 9, 2014
At last the window above the door was unbarred, but no figure could be seen at its dark opening.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
Knees, shoulders, elbows, buttocks and teeth collide with one another, fleetingly unbarring a glimpse into deeper space before they slide closed again.
From Slate ● Sep. 25, 2011
He had flattered himself that she was slowly unbarring the gates.
From The Furnace by Dame Rose Macaulay
He could be heard unbarring the outer door.
From The Golden Scorpion by Sax Rohmer
And, unbarring the front door, she presently admitted the trio returning to claim the fruits of their honest labor.
From Waring's Peril by Charles King
They got enough, however, to realise that he demanded the unbarring of the door, and that he both threatened and promised protection to whoever was within.
From The Strange Case of Cavendish by Randall Parrish
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.
