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Glite Dictionary
crowbar

crowbar

45 2.9
A heavy metal bar with a curved end used to force things open and pull out nails
  • noun
  • /ˈkraʊbɑr/
translation icon : pata de cabra
  • And the typical class one lever is the crowbar, which you'll use for this one, probably for taking the lids off off crates.
  • use a crowbar
  • pry with a crowbar
  • open with a crowbar

Breaking in wasn't easy, but I had a plan and a crowbar.

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Examples

  • The shed's double doors stood ajar, bent where a crowbar had forced the lock.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Andy emerges into the front of this, crowbar in hand, peering into the darkness.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • The nails were put in so hard it took a crowbar to get them out.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • An old man uses a crowbar to pry open the trunk.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Why don't I run down to the garage and see if I can't find a crowbar to jimmy that thing open?

    Iron Man 3 (2013)

  • Tane began to pry off the top of the box with a crowbar while Dragoneyes explained.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • As seen before: a glass shatters, a crowbar jacks open the door marked: "Dr. Lewis J. Fielding, Psychiatrist."

    Fiction book (1995)

  • The workers used a crowbar to pry open the wooden crate and retrieve the packages inside.

  • He found a crowbar in the garage and decided to use it to lift the heavy stone.

  • Using a crowbar, she easily pulled out the nails from the old wooden door.

Synonyms

jimmy
vscrowbar
  • US
10 8.0

A small metal bar used to force open doors or windows

is a longer heavy lever used for larger prying tasks not just small openings
pry
vscrowbar
  • Archaic
4 8.4

A long metal bar with a flat end used to lift or move heavy things

is the same tool but used under the more general everyday name
pry bar
vscrowbar
  • US
3 4.8

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

is a general heavy lever used for prying rather than only wedging
wrecking bar
vscrowbar
1 6.5

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

is the common prying tool used more for general jobs than demolition focus
pinch bar
vscrowbar
  • US
1 7.4

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

is mainly for prying and nail removal rather than moving heavy objects
jim crow
vscrowbar
  • Archaic
9.9

A long metal bar with a curved claw for pulling nails

is a general heavy lever used for prying rather than nail pulling
ripping bar
vscrowbar
  • US
8.3

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

is the standard heavy lever without stressing both special end shapes

How Heavy

wrecking bar
1 6.5
pry bar
  • US
3 4.8
crowbar
45 2.9
nailer
3.8

Surface Forms

crowbar singular
crowbars plural

Morphology

crowbar = crow + bar (semi-transparent) = crow + bar

While 'bar' clearly refers to a metal rod used as a lever, the contribution of 'crow' is historically obscure and not obviously the bird to most learners, so the compound is only partly inferable from its parts.

Etymology

Crowbar comes from the bird crow and the word bar, because the tool's curved end looks like a crow's 'beak'. So a crowbar is a strong metal 'bar' with a hooked end used to pry things open.