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to bar

to bar

12 2.8
To block a path or entrance by placing something across it
  • verb
  • /bɑr/
: atrancar
  • "Bar the gate," Clare ordered, out of breath from her run up the hill.

Examples

Synonyms

to block
vsto bar
989 3.0

To stop movement, access, or progress

fastens by placing an object across an opening a specific physical method
to barricade
vsto bar
34 4.8

To stop people from entering a place by putting up a barrier

fastens across an opening to secure it rather than sealing large areas
to block off
vsto bar
33 3.8

Close a road, path or entrance so people cannot go through

fastens across an opening to obstruct passage rather than closing large routes
to blockade
vsto bar
9 6.0

To stop people and goods entering or leaving a place, often during war

fastens across an opening for local closure rather than wide enforced sealing
to block up
vsto bar
8 3.8

To stop movement through a road, pipe, or path

fastens across an opening to hold it closed instead of completely filling it
to bar off
vsto bar
  • Informal
1 5.6

To block a place so people cannot enter, often by putting up a fence

fastens by placing an object across an opening rather than only closing access
to crossbar
vsto bar
6.5

To fasten something by putting a bar across it to make it stronger

fastens by placing a single transverse piece across an opening

Antonyms

∞ 1.0

To make something not closed so you can get in

Idioms

bar none
  • Informal
11 6.5

To say there are no exceptions or rivals

9 3.9

Make a high goal for others to reach

To not understand anything about a subject

To become a barrister and be officially allowed to work in court

Only small formal steps remain before the result is final

Phrasal Verbs

To set a higher standard that others must reach

to hit the bar
  • Informal
5 7.0

Go to a bar to have a drink and talk with friends

to bar hop
  • Informal
4 6.9

To go from bar to bar, drinking at each place

to bar-hopping
  • Informal
1 5.1

To visit several bars in one night to drink and socialize

1 8.8

Go up to a bar counter to order a drink

to bar off
  • Informal
1 5.6

To block a place so people cannot enter, often by putting up a fence

1 8.8

To spend time at a bar drinking and talking with friends

Compounds

77 1.0

A sweet made of chocolate or sugar that you eat as a snack

76 7.3

A Jewish ceremony for a boy on his thirteenth birthday marking his religious responsibilities

29 1.0

A solid sweet made from cocoa, shaped like a bar to eat as a snack

22 1.0

A small solid piece that you use to wash your body or hands

21 1.0

A counter where people help themselves to salad toppings and dressings

bar code
  • Specialized
18 2.5

A pattern of black bars and numbers on products that a scanner reads

16 1.3

A small place where people buy and eat sandwiches and drinks

15 6.2

A test that checks if a person can work as a lawyer in a country or state

12 1.5

A small baked snack made from oats, nuts, and honey, often with dried fruit

11 6.1

A difficult standard to reach

10 2.5

A bar that mainly serves wine

8 2.4

A place where chefs prepare and serve sushi at a counter

7 1.3

A small café where people buy coffee and light snacks

6 1.4

A rectangular milk chocolate bar made by the Hershey company

wet bar
  • US
6 4.5

A small counter with a sink for mixing and serving drinks

4 3.4

A strong bar attached to a wall that you hold for support, often in a bathroom

4 3.5

A restaurant that mainly serves oysters, raw or cooked

pry bar
  • US
3 4.8

A heavy metal tool with a flat pointed end used to lift things and pull nails

3 3.5

A bar at a party or event where guests pay for their own drinks

3 3.1

A long narrow strip of sand in water that shows above the water

3 1.0

A long key on a keyboard that adds a space between words

2 2.5

A sweet snack of nuts and sugar on a thin baked base cut into bars

2 3.1

A chart that uses bars of different lengths to show and compare numbers

2 2.3

A bar fixed to a wall for hanging towels

2 3.0

A graph with bars that show and compare numbers for different groups

bar girl
  • Slang
2 8.1

A woman who talks and spends time with men in a bar to get tips or drinks

roll bar
  • Specialized
1 3.5

A strong metal bar inside a vehicle that protects people if it flips over

1 8.2

An official exam a person must pass to become a lawyer

bar wench
  • Slur
1 9.9

A woman who serves drinks in a bar, often in old stories or costume parties

1 1.2

A baked sweet snack with chopped fruit cut into bars

1 2.5

A sweet snack made from peanuts and syrup, shaped like a bar

high bar
  • Specialized
1 5.3

A horizontal bar high above the ground that gymnasts swing on

title bar
  • Specialized
1 3.7

A bar at the top of a window that shows the document or program name

1 2.7

A sweet baked slice made with chopped dates and a crumbly crust

1 8.4

A bar where women talk with and serve drinks to customers

bar code
  • Specialized
1 3.5

A short piece of DNA used to identify a species

bar-hopping
  • Informal
1 3.7

Visiting several bars in one night to drink and socialize

milk bar
  • Australian
1 3.3

A small shop that sells milk drinks, ice cream and light snacks

bar-hopping
  • Informal
1 6.4

Relating to visiting several bars in one outing to drink and meet people

bar magnet
  • Specialized
1 3.7

A straight rectangular piece of metal that attracts iron and has opposite poles at each end

color bar
  • Offensive
1 7.9

A system that keeps people of different races apart and often denies rights to Black people

1 3.7

A horizontal bar fixed at a height for lifting your body until your chin is above it

1 6.5

A long strong iron bar with a flat or forked end that you use to force things apart

bar fly
  • Slang
1 8.1

A person who spends a lot of time drinking at bars

anti-sway bar
  • Specialized
1 6.0

A metal bar under a car that reduces how much the car leans in turns

stabilizer bar
  • Specialized
1 5.1

A metal rod under a car that stops it from leaning in turns

A single metal pole fixed high between two posts that gymnasts swing and perform moves on

1 2.7

A sweet bar made of soft, chewy sugar and nuts often covered in chocolate

1 7.7

A T-shaped bar that pulls skiers uphill

double bar
  • Specialized
1 5.7

A pair of vertical lines in written music that show the end of a main section or the whole piece

1 7.4

A long strong metal tool with a pointed end used to lift heavy things

torsion bar
  • Specialized
1 6.1

A metal bar under a vehicle that twists to act like a spring and absorb shocks

bar star
  • Informal
1 7.8

A bartender who is very good at making drinks and attracts many customers

1 4.8

A sweet snack made from carob powder that people eat like chocolate

bar printer
  • Archaic
1 8.0

A machine that prints a whole line at once by hitting paper with a moving bar

stall bar
  • Specialized
1 8.2

A frame of horizontal bars fixed to a wall for exercise

1 8.2

A table game like pool where short cues hit balls into holes while knocking wooden pegs loses points

kangaroo bar
  • Informal
1 9.3

A bar with loud music and people dancing

bar line
  • Specialized
1 3.4

A vertical line on a music staff that shows where one group of beats ends and the next begins

1 2.3

A sweet baked slice with apricot jam or fruit

1 5.1

A ski lift with a T-shaped bar that pulls skiers or snowboarders uphill as they hold it

tamping bar
  • Specialized
1 9.3

A long heavy tool for packing material tightly into a hole or small space

hitching bar
  • Archaic
1 9.1

A fixed horizontal bar that people tie horses to so they do not wander

1 8.3

A long heavy metal tool with a flat chisel end for prying and a curved claw end for pulling nails

axle bar
  • Specialized
1 7.9

A strong metal rod that holds a vehicle's wheels

A plant with large green leaves that people keep indoors for decoration

double bar
  • Specialized
5.5

A symbol in programming that returns true when one or both conditions are true

bar sinister
  • Archaic
9.9

A diagonal band on a shield in heraldry running from the upper right to the lower left

bar sinister
  • Archaic
9.9

Being born to parents who were not married

bar absolute
  • Specialized
9.9

A unit of pressure measured from complete vacuum and equal to the air pressure at sea level

bar bit
  • Specialized
9.2

A solid metal bar that sits in a horse's mouth to help the rider control the horse

6.4

A protective face guard made of metal bars used by the catcher in baseball or softball

bar-lamb
  • Slang
9.9

A person who is kind and gentle and easily says yes to others

How Blocked

to seal
288 2.5
to lock
∞ 1.0
to bar
12 2.8
to block
989 3.0
to hinder
75 3.6

Surface Forms

bar infinitive
barred past
barred past participle
barring present participle
bars third person singular

Etymology

To bar something in the sense 'to block' comes from putting a real bar across an entrance, so to bar a door is to stop people from getting through.