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Glite Dictionary
space bar

space bar

3 1.0
A long key on a keyboard that adds a space between words
  • noun
  • /speɪs bɑr/
translation icon : barra espaciadora
  • To insert a space between words, simply press the space bar on your keyboard.
  • press the space bar
  • space bar to begin

You know, I'm going, I'm a coder, so I'm going to say I'm going to put some upward velocity when the player hits the space bar.

Examples

  • After a few minutes, however, subjects are told to press the space bar when they see frowning faces.

    Blog text (28)

  • Test material slides into a holder, and all that the operator must do is press the space bar.

    Academic text (2003)

  • Students were then told to press the space bar to begin Trial 1.

    Academic text (1992)

  • Press the space bar to begin.

    Academic text (1992)

  • Frame 2: After pressing the space bar, 12 moving balls appeared on the computer screen.

    Academic text (2004)

  • The next trial was then initiated by pressing the space bar.

    Academic text (1992)

  • Subjects were told to press the space bar when ready to start the experiment and, in addition, were given the following verbal instructions:

    Academic text (2002)

  • Hit the space bar twice after typing a sentence on the iPhone.

    Blog text (12)

  • The participant then indicates, by hitting a space bar on a computer, whether a word fits the concept or not.

    Academic text (2013)

  • The exclamation mark remained until the participant was ready to begin the trial and pressed the space bar.

    Academic text (2004)

Surface Forms

space bar singular
space bars plural

Morphology

space + bar

The meaning 'the long horizontal key that inserts a space' is directly derivable from 'space' (a blank between words) + 'bar' (a long rigid piece), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer the key's shape and function. This is a straightforward noun–noun compound with clear compositional logic and equivalents in many languages, making it immediately comprehensible to B1 learners.

Etymology

The noun space bar comes from old typewriters. The long key, the bar, was pressed to make a blank space between words, so the name simply describes the key that creates the space.