barrier
Other forms: barriers
Barriers are walls, either physical or metaphorical. They can block movement — the Great Wall of China was a barrier to block invading forces from entering. A window shade is a light barrier. Failing English is a barrier to getting into Harvard.
When people are being excluded from joining a clique, you could say that the clique has erected a social barrier. When fighter jets fly faster than the speed of sound, they break through what feels like a wall in the sky called the sound barrier. The Green Monster at Fenway Park keeps Boston Red Sox fans from being able to watch games from outside the stadium — it's a barrier to sight. But when line drives hit the Green Monster, bouncing the ball back into left field, the Green Monster acts also a barrier to easy home runs.
Definitions of barrier
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a structure or object that impedes free movement
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types:
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balusters, balustrade, banister, bannister, handrail
a railing at the side of a staircase or balcony to prevent people from falling
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barricade
a barrier (usually thrown up hastily) to impede the advance of an enemy
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breakwater, bulwark, groin, groyne, jetty, mole, seawall
a protective structure of stone or concrete; extends from shore into the water to prevent a beach from washing away
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bulwark
a fencelike structure around a ship's deck (usually plural)
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crash barrier
a strong protective barrier that is erected around a racetrack or in the middle of a dual-lane highway in order to reduce the likelihood of severe accidents
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dam, dike, dyke
a barrier constructed to contain the flow of water or to keep out the sea
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fence, fencing
a barrier that serves to enclose an area
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fender, wing
a barrier that surrounds the wheels of a vehicle to block splashing water or mud
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grate, grating
a barrier that has parallel or crossed bars blocking a passage but admitting air
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hurdle
a light movable barrier that competitors must leap over in certain races
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movable barrier
a barrier that can be moved to allow passage
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rail, railing
a barrier consisting of a horizontal bar and supports
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revetment
a barrier against explosives
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barricade, roadblock
a barrier set up by police to stop traffic on a street or road in order to catch a fugitive or inspect traffic etc.
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starting gate, starting stall
a movable barrier on the starting line of a race course
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backstop
(baseball) a fence or screen (as behind home plate) to prevent the ball from traveling out of the playing field
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bar
(law) a railing that encloses the part of the courtroom where the judges and lawyers sit and the case is tried
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chainlink fence
a fence of steel wires woven into a diamond pattern
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chicane
a movable barrier used in motor racing; sometimes placed before a dangerous corner to reduce speed as cars pass in single file
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door
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
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fife rail
the railing surrounding the mast of a sailing vessel
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gate
a movable barrier in a fence or wall
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grille, radiator grille
grating that admits cooling air to car's radiator
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hatch
a movable barrier covering a hatchway
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hedge, hedgerow
a fence formed by a row of closely planted shrubs or bushes
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milldam
dam to make a millpond to provide power for a water mill
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mudguard, splash guard, splash-guard
a curved piece above the wheel of a bicycle or motorcycle to protect the rider from water or mud thrown up by the wheels
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paling, picket fence
a fence made of upright pickets
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rail fence
a fence (usually made of split logs laid across each other at an angle)
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guardrail, safety rail
a railing placed alongside a stairway or road for safety
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stone wall
a fence built of rough stones; used to separate fields
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taffrail
the railing around the stern of a ship
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wall
a masonry fence (as around an estate or garden)
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weir
a low dam built across a stream to raise its level or divert its flow
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weir
a fence or wattle built across a stream to catch or retain fish
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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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anything serving to maintain separation by obstructing vision or access
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types:
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bar
a submerged (or partly submerged) ridge in a river or along a shore
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blood-brain barrier
a mechanism that creates a barrier between brain tissues and circulating blood; serves to protect the central nervous system
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curtain
any barrier to communication or vision
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sand bar, sandbar
a bar of sand
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type of:
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mechanism
a natural object resembling a machine in structure or function
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any condition that makes it difficult to make progress or to achieve an objective“intolerance is a barrier to understanding”
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synonyms:
roadblock
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types:
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ideological barrier
a barrier to cooperation or interaction resulting from conflicting ideologies
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language barrier
barrier to communication resulting from speaking different languages
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iron curtain
any impenetrable barrier preventing the exchange of information or ideas
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iron curtain
an impenetrable barrier to communication or information especially as imposed by rigid censorship and secrecy; used by Winston Churchill in 1946 to describe the demarcation between democratic and communist countries
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bamboo curtain
an ideological barrier around communist China especially in the 1950s and 1960s
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Jim Crow, color bar, color line, colour bar, colour line
barrier preventing blacks from participating in various activities with whites
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type of:
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obstacle, obstruction
something immaterial that stands in the way and must be circumvented or surmounted
Pronunciation
US
/ˈbɛriər/
UK
/ˈbæriə/
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘barrier'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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