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
"Wait while I unbar the door," called Redward to the fugitive, at the same time directing the others to assist him in removing the barricade.
From The Winning of the Golden Spurs by Percy F. (Percy Francis) Westerman
"The time is not yet up," returned Brian, beginning to unbar the door, and he laughed at the mocking voice.
From Nuala O'Malley by H. Bedford-Jones
These flowers of June The gates of memory unbar; These flowers of June Such old-time harmonies retune, I fain would keep the gates ajar, So full of sweet enchantment are These flowers of June.
From The Melody of Earth An Anthology of Garden and Nature Poems From Present-Day Poets by Various
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
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
Soon as to Ilion's topmost tower they come, And awful reach the high Palladian dome, Antenor's consort, fair Theano, waits As Pallas' priestess, and unbars the gates.
From The Iliad by Alexander Pope
See, the Muse unbars the gate; Hark, the monkeys, how they prate!
From Ireland in the Days of Dean Swift Irish Tracts, 1720 to 1734 by J. Bowles (John Bowles) Daly
Death that unbars Unto the ready soul the Gate of Heaven, Claiming no pang or groan from failing flesh, Doth angel-service.
From Man of Uz, and Other Poems by Lydia Howard Sigourney
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
A few hurried words in Iroquois were the reply, and Susan congratulated herself on having spoken before unbarring the door.
From Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol. 3, No. 15, August, 1851 by Various
A faint sound of unbarring came from behind the door, which quickly opened, and they dodged into the room.
From Frank Merriwell's Chums by Burt L. Standish
We wait receptively, unbarring all our rust-hinged doors to welcome the true favors that now find us.
From The Optimist's Good Morning by Florence Hobart Perin
The sound of the unbarring of the door had deprived her of the last remnant of self-control.
From The Missing Bride by Emma Dorothy Eliza Nevitte Southworth
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.
