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

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

Now to the other end of the barbell, with the software name that continued as a growth stock as most software stocks fell apart. — Todd Gordon, CNBC, 8 July 2026

The same barbell that feels nearly impossible for a novice to pick up might be a cinch for an experienced lifter. — Jennifer Heimlich, Time, 6 July 2026

Lie on a bench holding a barbell or two dumbbells above your chest. — Rikkilynn Shields Hannigan, Health, 1 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