rebar

noun re·bar \ ˈrē-ˌbär \

Updated on: 1 Apr 2018

Definition of rebar

plural rebar or rebars

: a steel rod with ridges for use in reinforced concrete

Recent Examples of rebar from the Web

The top of the sheet-metal modular trailer hauled by an 18-wheeler slammed into the bottom of the overpass early Wednesday afternoon, leaving debris on the road and visible chunks of concrete missing to expose the steel rebar inside.

— zaz hollander, Anchorage Daily News, "‘Incredibly dangerous’: State assesses damage to Glenn Highway overpass hit by truck," 22 Mar. 2018
Chief Executive John Ferriola said the plant would produce reinforcing steel bars used in construction, and will give the company an advantage over competitors who ship rebar from long distances.

— cara lombardo, WSJ, "Nucor to Build New Florida Steel Mill as Domestic Producers Study Tariff Impact," 12 Mar. 2018
Artist Marjorie Berkson Sievers and landscape architect Paul Lewis wrought some beauty from the wreckage, reframing bowed concrete columns and looping, vine-laden rebar as modern art in the university’s sculpture garden.

— Los Angeles Magazine, "A Brief Tour of L.A.’s Secret Ruins," 22 Feb. 2018
Builders say the island’s mostly brick and concrete buildings risk collapsing in earthquakes because of soft soil and reliance on columns of rebar inside walls rather than steel I-beams for structural support.

— ralph jennings, latimes.com, "It took a deadly earthquake to get Taiwan's attention, but now it's demanding safer buildings," 9 Mar. 2018
The posts are anchored in concrete and steel rebar 5 feet below the surface.

— james b. nelson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Hundreds of posts surrounding the new Milwaukee Bucks arena aim to prevent terror attacks," 5 Feb. 2018
Then burned, tossed in a trunk, tied with rebar to a desert stone.

— aaron gilbreath, Longreads, "Pretty Girls Turned Hungry Ghosts," 27 Feb. 2018
The militants had welded thick armored plates around old Soviet personnel carriers and attached grids of rebar along their sides to disperse incoming rocket blasts.

— tim neville, New York Times, "A Journey Into Iraqi Kurdistan," 29 Jan. 2018
More durable concrete, the addition of stainless-steel rebar to reduce cracking and buckling, molten-zinc spray-on coatings for steel, and the inclusion of corrosion-monitoring sensors have helped extend the life of bridges.

— tim newcomb, Popular Mechanics, "Smart Design and Super Materials Are Stretching Bridges," 3 Jan. 2013

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rebar.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.