debar

verb

de·​bar di-ˈbär How to pronounce debar (audio)
dē-
debarred; debarring; debars

transitive verb

: to bar from having or doing something : preclude
debarment noun

Examples of debar in a Sentence

the judge debarred all of the reporters from the courtroom
Recent Examples on the Web Inspector General Ha has the authority to debar contractors from working with the city but companies can appeal those decisions. Detroit Free Press, 27 Apr. 2023 The company will be suspended for 90 days starting April 27, or until Inspector General Ellen Ha makes a final determination of whether to debar the contractor. Detroit Free Press, 27 Apr. 2023 No company has been debarred yet, according to an M.T.A. spokesman. New York Times, 29 July 2019 Perceptics will face upcoming administrative proceedings to determine whether the company should be debarred, meaning prohibited for an extended period from working for the federal government. Drew Harwell, Washington Post, 3 July 2019 Labor’s Lucero said that federal investigators did not seek to debar Insight Global from future public contracts. Carl Prine, sandiegouniontribune.com, 2 Apr. 2018 European Adoption Consultants placed more than 2,000 overseas children in US homes since the early 1990s before the State Department debarred the agency in December. Randi Kaye and Wayne Drash, CNN, 12 Oct. 2017 According to the Ohio attorney general's lawsuit, about 300 families had paid EAC for international adoptions that were in various stages when the agency was debarred. Randi Kaye and Wayne Drash, CNN, 12 Oct. 2017 Only 33 people or businesses in the U.S. are currently debarred from using H-2A workers — out of several thousand H-2A employers. Audrey Dutton, idahostatesman, 1 Nov. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'debar.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English debarren, from Anglo-French debarrer, from de- + barrer to bar

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of debar was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near debar

Cite this Entry

“Debar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/debar. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

debar

verb
de·​bar di-ˈbär How to pronounce debar (audio)
debarred; debarring
: to prevent from having or doing something
debarment noun

Legal Definition

debar

transitive verb
de·​bar dē-ˈbär How to pronounce debar (audio)
debarred; debarring
: to bar from having or doing something
specifically : to exclude from contracting with the federal government or a federal contractor
was debarred from bidding
compare disbar
debarment noun

More from Merriam-Webster on debar

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