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 In 2018, the feds debarred Larralde, Georgiou and two other family members for three years from the H-2A program. Sam Tabachnik, The Denver Post, 1 Sep. 2024 But Bair Ranch was never debarred from the program. Sam Tabachnik, The Denver Post, 1 Sep. 2024 But neither Ruiz nor the minority report endorsed the Republican call to debar EcoHealth from further U.S. funding. Byjocelyn Kaiser, science.org, 2 May 2024 As a result of the ongoing hearings, EcoHealth Alliance recently had its access to federal grant funding suspended — with an eye toward debarring them from receiving future funding. Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 2 June 2024 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

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 9 Oct. 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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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