Definition of 'bar'

Word Frequency

bar

(bɑːʳ )

Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present tense bars , present participle barring , past tense, past participle barred

1. countable noun

A bar is a place where you can buy and drink alcoholic drinks.

[mainly US]

...Devil's Herd, the city's most popular country-western bar.

...the Brass Nickel Bar.

Synonyms: public house, pub [informal, mainly British], counter, inn More Synonyms of bar

2. countable noun

A bar is a room in a pub or hotel where alcoholic drinks are served.

[British]

I'll see you in the bar later.

On the ship there are lounges, a bar and a small duty-free shop.

3. countable noun

A bar is a counter on which alcoholic drinks are served.

Michael was standing alone by the bar when Brian rejoined him.

He leaned forward across the bar.

Synonyms: counter, stand, table More Synonyms of bar

4. See also coffee bar, public bar, singles bar, snack bar, wine bar

5. countable noun

A bar is a long, straight, stiff piece of metal.

...a brick building with bars across the ground floor windows.

...a crowd throwing stones and iron bars.

Synonyms: rod, staff, stick, stake More Synonyms of bar

See behind bars

7. countable noun

A bar of something is a piece of it which is roughly rectangular.

What is your favourite chocolate bar?

...a bar of soap. [+ of]

Synonyms: piece, bit, block, slice More Synonyms of bar

8. countable noun [usually with supplement]

A bar of an electric fire is a piece of metal with wire wound round it that glows and provides heat when the fire is switched on.

[British]

...a two-bar electric fire with a frayed flex.

9. verb

If you bar a door, you place something in front of it or a piece of wood or metal across it in order to prevent it from being opened.

For added safety, bar the door to the kitchen. [VERB noun]

Synonyms: lock, block, secure, chain More Synonyms of bar

barred adjective [usually verb-link ADJECTIVE]

The windows were closed and shuttered, the door was barred.

Synonyms: excluded, banned, forbidden, prohibited More Synonyms of bar

Synonyms: striped, lined, marked, banded More Synonyms of bar

10. verb

If you bar someone's way, you prevent them from going somewhere or entering a place, by blocking their path.

Harry moved to bar his way. [VERB noun]

He stepped in front of her, barring her way. [VERB noun]

Synonyms: block, restrict, hold up, restrain More Synonyms of bar

11. verb [usually passive]

If someone is barred from a place or from doing something, they are officially forbidden to go there or to do it.

Foreign journalists are barred from entering the country. [be VERB-ed + from]

Many jobs were barred to them. [be VERB-ed + to]

12. countable noun

If something is a bar to doing a particular thing, it prevents someone from doing it.

One of the fundamental bars to communication is the lack of a common language. [+ to]

In industry after industry, government bodies have erected bars to competition.

Synonyms: obstacle, block, barrier, hurdle More Synonyms of bar

13.

See no holds barred

14. preposition

You can use bar when you mean 'except'. For example, all the work bar the washing means all the work except the washing.

Bar a large massage table, there wasn't much furniture in the room.

The aim of the service was to offer everything the independent investor wanted, bar advice.

Synonyms: except, but, saving, save [archaic] More Synonyms of bar

15. See also barring

16.

See bar none

17. proper noun

The Bar is used to refer to the profession of a barrister in England, or of any kind of lawyer in the United States.

Robert was planning to read for the Bar.

18. countable noun

In music, a bar is one of the several short parts of the same length into which a piece of music is divided.

[mainly British]regional note: in AM, use measure

More Synonyms of bar

English Easy Learning GrammarPrepositionsA preposition is one of a small but very common group of words that relate different items to each other. Most English prepositions have a number of meanings ... Read more

Video: pronunciation of
bar

bar in British English 1

(bɑː )

noun

a rigid usually straight length of metal, wood, etc, that is longer than it is wide or thick, used esp as a barrier or as a structural or mechanical part

a bar of a gate

a solid usually rectangular block of any material

a bar of soap

anything that obstructs or prevents

an offshore ridge of sand, mud, or shingle lying near the shore and parallel to it, across the mouth of a river, bay, or harbour, or linking an island to the mainland

b. US and Canadian

an alluvial deposit in a stream, river, or lake

a counter or room where alcoholic drinks are served

a counter, room, or establishment where a particular range of goods, food, services, etc, are sold

a coffee bar

a heel bar

a narrow band or stripe, as of colour or light

a heating element in an electric fire

(in England) the area in a court of law separating the part reserved for the bench and Queen's Counsel from the area occupied by junior barristers, solicitors, and the general public

bar in British English 2

(bɑː )

noun

a cgs unit of pressure equal to 106 dynes per square centimetre. 1 bar is equivalent to 105 newtons per square metre

Word origin

C20: from Greek baros weight

Word Frequency

bar in British English 3

(bɑː ) Southwest England dialect

noun

immunity from being caught or otherwise penalized in a game

exclamation

a cry for such immunity

Word origin

variant of barley2

Word Frequency

Bar in British English

(bɑː )

noun

the Bar

(in England and elsewhere) barristers collectively

2. US

the legal profession collectively

3. See be called to the Bar

4. See be called within the Bar

Word Frequency

BAR in British English

abbreviation for

Browning Automatic Rifle

Word Frequency

bar. in British English

abbreviation for

barometer

barometric

barrel (container or unit of measure)

barrister

Word Frequency

Bar- in British English

(bar, bɑː )

prefix

(before Jewish patronymic names) son of

Bar-Kochba

Word Frequency

BAR in American English

Browning automatic rifle

Word Frequency

Bar in American English

Bible

Baruch

Word Frequency

bar in American English 1

(bɑr )

noun

any piece of wood, metal, etc. longer than it is wide or thick, often used as a barrier,fastening, lever, etc.

an oblong piece or mass of something solid

bar of soap, chocolate bar

any of various small metal strips worn to show military or other rank

a thing that blocks the way or prevents entrance, departure, or further movement; specif., sandbar

anything that hinders or prevents

illiteracy is a bar to success

a strip, stripe, band, or broad line, as of light or color

the railing enclosing the part of a law court where the judges or lawyers sit, or where prisoners are brought to trial

this part of the law court

a law court or system of courts

any place of judgment

the bar of public opinion

lawyers collectively

the legal profession

a counter at which alcoholic drinks and sometimes food are served

an establishment or room with such a counter

an article of furniture, often on wheels, from which drinks, etc. are served

10.

barre

11.

the mouthpiece of a horse's bit, or the part of a horse's mouth into which it is fitted

12.

in lace making and other needlework, a loop or tie that connects parts of a pattern

13. Heraldry

a horizontal stripe on a shield or bearing

14. Law

the defeat or nullifying of a claim or action

anything that brings this about

15. Music

a vertical line across a staff, dividing it into measures

a measure

double bar

16. Athletics

the horizontal bar used in the high jump or , pole vault

17. Zoology

either of the ends of the wall of a horse's hoof, curving inward toward the center of the sole

verb transitiveWord forms: barred or ˈbarring

18.

to fasten with or as with a bar

19.

to obstruct by means of a bar or bars; shut off; close

20.

to oppose, prevent, or forbid, as by legal action

21.

to keep out; exclude

he was barred from the contest

22.

to set aside

barring certain possibilities

23.

to mark with stripes

preposition

24.

excluding; excepting

the best bar none

SIMILAR WORDS: ˈhinder, shoal

Idioms:

cross the bar

raise (or lower) the bar

Word origin

ME & OFr barre < ML barra, bar, barrier, prob. < Gaul *barros, the bushy end, akin to Ir bar, branch < IE *bhoros, cut wood < base *bher-, to cut with a sharp tool

Word Frequency

bar in American English 2

(bɑr )

noun

the basic unit of pressure in the CGS system, equal to the pressure of a force of one million dynes per square centimeter: abbrev. b

2. Obsolete

microbar

Word origin

Ger < Gr baros, weight, akin to barys, heavy: see grave1

Word Frequency

bar in American English 3

barometer

barometric

barrel

Word Frequency

bar. in American English

abbreviation

barometer

barometric

barrel

barrister

Word Frequency

Bar. in American English

abbreviation

Bible

Baruch

Word Frequency

B.Ar. in American English

abbreviation

Bachelor of Architecture

Word Frequency

bar in Hospitality 1

(bɑr)

Word forms: (regular plural) bars

noun

(Hospitality (hotel): Hotel bar)

A bar is a room in a hotel or other establishment where alcoholic drinks are served.

The hotel bar is open from 7pm until 10:30pm, with happy hour from 7pm to 8pm.

There's a nice bar across the street that serves excellent wines.

There is a comfortable bar where you can enjoy a drink in the hotel.

Word Frequency

bar in Hospitality 2

(bɑr)

Word forms: (regular plural) bars

noun

(Hospitality (hotel): Hotel bar)

A bar is a counter on which alcoholic drinks are served.

Several guests were drinking at the bar.

The customer stood by the bar while the bartender brought his drink.

People usually come to the bar to order drinks.

Examples of 'bar' in a sentence
bar

These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content.Read more…

Residents and shoppers hit out after being barred from the city street.Plans for a bar in one of the new venues have provoked warnings from alcohol awareness groups.They avoided jail but know that another conviction could land them behind bars.You normally have a chat with the opposition in the bar afterwards but none of them came in. Hit the bar with a thunderous header on a raid forward and looked a menace on the overlap with his pace.There is comedy, theatre and music on offer plus bars and restaurants to relax in and.The other three are in the main building above the bar and restaurant, and suffer a little from noise on busy weekends.Positions on offer include kitchen managers, chefs, bar staff and hosts.Pregnant soldiers are barred from the front line.Or in their beautiful bar next door.