barbell

noun

bar·​bell ˈbär-ˌbel 

plural barbells

1

: a bar with adjustable weighted disks attached to each end that is used for exercise and in weight lifting

2

: something that resembles a barbell

especially : an ornament that consists of a small, thin metal rod with a ball or bead at each end and that is worn on the body as a piercing

Five years later, he has had eight ear piercings, a barbell on his lower lip and another silver barbell through his tongue.

—Anne Llamada Estonillo

Examples of barbell in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Still, Norton maintains a barbell strategy, holding both short- and long-dated bonds. — Michelle Fox, CNBC, 15 July 2026

In the first event, a weight lifter named Beatriz Pirón just missed a world record in the snatch, in which a lifter pulls a barbell over her head in a single motion. — Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 13 July 2026

The reel started with Vonn tentatively standing up with the help of a supportive bar and ended with her expertly squatting carrying a weighted barbell, showing just how far the athlete has come in her recovery. — Clare Fisher, PEOPLE, 9 July 2026

Top universities are missing middle-class students College aid officials talk a lot these days about a demographic phenomenon variously called the missing middle, the doughnut or the barbell. — Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 8 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1873, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for barbell

• bedwell
• befell
• bluebell
• bombshell
• bridewell
• capelle
• cartel
• carvel
• clamshell
• cogswell
• compel
• dispel

Kids Definition

barbell

noun

bar·​bell ˈbär-ˌbel 

: a bar with adjustable weighted disks attached to each end that is used for exercise and in weight lifting