bar
Other forms: bars; barred; barring
If you bar a college student from entering a bar because he's too young to drink, it means that you prevent him from going into an establishment that serves alcoholic beverages.
Bar is one of those handy words with many different meanings. There's the kind of bar where you order coffee or a drink. There is also the bar that a bartender keeps close at hand in case she needs a weapon when patrons get rowdy — like a long piece of metal. And when you bar something, you make it inaccessible in some way. The word bar comes from the French word barre, which means "beam, gate, or barrier."
Definitions of bar
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a rigid piece of metal or wood; usually used as a fastening or obstruction or weapon“there were bars in the windows to prevent escape”
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types:
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belaying pin
a wood or metal bar to which a rope can be secured (as on a ship or in mountain climbing)
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bolt, deadbolt
the part of a lock that is engaged or withdrawn with a key
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bolt
a sliding bar in a breech-loading firearm that ejects an empty cartridge and replaces it and closes the breech
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carpenter's level
a straight bar of light metal with a spirit level in it
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chinning bar
a horizontal bar on which you can chin yourself
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core
a bar of magnetic material (as soft iron) that passes through a coil and serves to increase the inductance of the coil
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crossbar
a horizontal bar that goes across something
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drawbar
a strong metal bar bearing a hook to attach something to be pulled
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fret
a small bar of metal across the fingerboard of a musical instrument; when the string is stopped by a finger at the metal bar it will produce a note of the desired pitch
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grab bar
a bar attached parallel to a wall to provide a handgrip for steadying yourself
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handlebar
the shaped bar used to steer a bicycle
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handspike
a metal bar (or length of pipe) used as a lever
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heaver
a bar used as a lever (as in twisting rope)
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lever
a rigid bar pivoted about a fulcrum
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rail
a horizontal bar (usually of wood or metal)
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rotor
the revolving bar of a distributor
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shackle
a U-shaped bar; the open end can be passed through chain links and closed with a bar
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slice bar
iron bar used to loosen and rake clinkers out of furnaces
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anti-sway bar, stabilizer bar
a rigid metal bar between the front suspensions and between the rear suspensions of cars and trucks; serves to stabilize the chassis
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towel bar, towel rail
a horizontal bar a few inches from a wall for holding towels
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rail, rails, runway, track
a bar or pair of parallel bars of rolled steel making the railway along which railroad cars or other vehicles can roll
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compound lever
a pair of levers hinged at the fulcrum
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crowbar, pry, pry bar, wrecking bar
a heavy iron lever with one end forged into a wedge
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doubletree
a crossbar on a wagon or carriage to which two whiffletrees are attached in order to harness two horses abreast
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gun trigger, trigger
lever that activates the firing mechanism of a gun
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hand throttle
a hand-operated lever that controls the throttle valve
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hitching bar, hitchrack
a fixed horizontal rail to which a horse can be hitched to prevent it from straying
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key
a lever (as in a keyboard) that actuates a mechanism when depressed
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ledger board
top rail of a fence or balustrade
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cant dog, dog hook, peavey, peavy
a stout lever with a sharp spike; used for handling logs
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foot lever, foot pedal, pedal, treadle
a lever that is operated with the foot
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picture rail
rail fixed to a wall for hanging pictures
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pinch bar
a lever with a pointed projection that serves as a fulcrum; used to roll heavy wheels
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plate rail
rail or narrow shelf fixed to a wall to display plates
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plumb level
a carpenter's level with a plumb line at right angles to it
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ripping bar
a steel lever with one end formed into a ripping chisel and the other a gooseneck with a claw for pulling nails
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rocker arm, valve rocker
a lever pivoted at the center; used especially to push a valve down in an internal-combustion engine
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safety bolt, safety lock
a bolt that cannot be moved from outside the door or gate
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spark lever
(on early automobiles) a lever mounted on the steering column and used to adjust the timing of the ignition
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fence rail, split rail
a rail that is split from a log
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control stick, joystick, stick
a lever used by a pilot to control the ailerons and elevators of an airplane
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tappet
a lever that is moved in order to tap something else
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third rail
a rail through which electric current is supplied to an electric locomotive
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tiller
lever used to turn the rudder on a boat
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tire iron, tire tool
hand tool consisting of a lever that is used to force the casing of a pneumatic tire onto a steel wheel
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swingletree, whiffletree, whippletree
a crossbar that is attached to the traces of a draft horse and to the vehicle or implement that the horse is pulling
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type of:
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implement
instrumentation (a piece of equipment or tool) used to effect an end
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a block of solid substance (such as soap or wax)
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a narrow marking of a different color or texture from the background“a green toad with small black stripes or bars”
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an obstruction (usually metal) placed at the top of a goal“it was an excellent kick but the ball hit the bar”
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type of:
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impediment, impedimenta, obstructer, obstruction, obstructor
any structure that makes progress difficult
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impediment, impedimenta, obstructer, obstruction, obstructor
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a horizontal rod that serves as a support for gymnasts as they perform exercises
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type of:
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support
any device that bears the weight of another thing
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support
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a submerged (or partly submerged) ridge in a river or along a shore
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a heating element in an electric fire“an electric fire with three bars”
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type of:
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heating element
the component of a heater or range that transforms fuel or electricity into heat
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heating element
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secure with, or as if with, bars
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a counter where you can obtain food or drink“he bought a hot dog and a coke at the bar”
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types:
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cash bar
a counter at a large party where you can purchase drinks by the glass
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oyster bar
a bar (as in a restaurant) that specializes in oysters prepared in different ways
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salad bar
a bar where diners can assemble a salad to their own taste
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buffet, snack bar, snack counter
usually inexpensive bar
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soda fountain
a counter where ice cream and sodas and sundaes are prepared and served
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sushi bar
a bar where sushi is served
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wet bar
a bar for mixing drinks that has a sink with running water
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wine bar
a bar that serves only wine
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commissary
a snack bar in a film studio
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milk bar
snack bar that sells milk drinks and light refreshments (such as ice cream)
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type of:
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counter
table consisting of a horizontal surface over which business is transacted
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a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter
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synonyms:
barroom, ginmill, saloon, taproom, watering hole
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types:
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barrelhouse, honky-tonk
a cheap drinking and dancing establishment
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cocktail lounge
a barroom in a hotel or restaurant where cocktails are served
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sawdust saloon
a saloon whose floor is covered with sawdust
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speakeasy
(during Prohibition) an illegal barroom
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type of:
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room
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
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the act of preventing“there was no bar against leaving”
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synonyms:
prevention
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types:
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averting
the act of preventing something from occurring
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debarment
the act of prevention by legal means
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disqualification
the act of preventing someone from participating by finding them unqualified
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interception
the act of intercepting; preventing something from proceeding or arriving
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non-proliferation, nonproliferation
the prevention of something increasing or spreading (especially the prevention of an increase in the number of countries possessing nuclear weapons)
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forestalling, obviation, preclusion
the act of preventing something by anticipating and disposing of it effectively
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prophylaxis
the prevention of disease
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save
(sports) the act of preventing the opposition from scoring
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crushing, quelling, stifling, suppression
forceful prevention; putting down by power or authority
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suspension, temporary removal
a temporary debarment (from a privilege or position etc)
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recusal, recusation
(law) the disqualification of a judge or jury by reason of prejudice or conflict of interest; a judge can be recused by objections of either party or judges can disqualify themselves
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crackdown
severely repressive actions
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type of:
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hinderance, hindrance, interference
the act of hindering or obstructing or impeding
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render unsuitable for passage
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expel, as if by official decree
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prevent from entering; keep out
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(meteorology) a unit of pressure equal to a million dynes per square centimeter“unfortunately some writers have used bar for one dyne per square centimeter”
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type of:
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pressure unit
a unit measuring force per unit area
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pressure unit
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musical notation for a repeating pattern of musical beats“the orchestra omitted the last twelve bars of the song”
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synonyms:
measure
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type of:
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musical notation
(music) notation used by musicians
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musical notation
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the body of individuals qualified to practice law in a particular jurisdiction“he was admitted to the bar in New Jersey”
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synonyms:
legal community, legal profession
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type of:
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profession
the body of people in a learned occupation
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profession
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(law) a railing that encloses the part of the courtroom where the judges and lawyers sit and the case is tried
Pronunciation
US
/bɑr/
UK
/bɑr/
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