: including only what is most basic or necessary
a bare-bones email program
Skyscrapers of steel hung with curtain walls of glass, these sleek buildings were impressive monuments to bare-bones architectural integrity.—
C. A. Mills
C. A. Mills
: the barest essentials, facts, or elements
the bare bones of her life
Examples of bare-bones in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Kff Health News, Oc Register, 6 Jan. 2026
In a back room at Stanford University, engineers have mocked up a bare-bones grocery store, complete with shelves, baskets, and a scattering of unlabeled cans.
—James Vincent, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
New Atlas, 20 Jan. 2026
The inside is stripped down to its bare bones while the space is being prepped to repaint.
—Kansas City Star, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bare-bones
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Adjective
Under Obamacare, both states were able to expand Medicaid to include more low-income residents, alleviating counties of patient loads and redirecting much of their funding for the patchwork of local programs that provided bare-bones services.
—Kff Health News, Oc Register, 6 Jan. 2026
In a back room at Stanford University, engineers have mocked up a bare-bones grocery store, complete with shelves, baskets, and a scattering of unlabeled cans.
—James Vincent, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Plural noun
Mostly bare bones, with minimal clutter and rider aids – how dirt bikes should be.
—New Atlas, 20 Jan. 2026
The inside is stripped down to its bare bones while the space is being prepped to repaint.
—Kansas City Star, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bare-bones
Cite this Entry
“Bare-bones.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bare-bones. Accessed 25 Jan. 2026.
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