bar

1 a straight piece (as of wood or metal) that is longer than it is wide all of the prison's windows are partially covered with steel bars Synonyms billet, rod Related Words arbor, beam, board, crossbar, crossbeam, girder; band, strip; bloom, ingot, slab, stick

2 a line or long narrow section differing in color from the background the cat had a bar of white down her throat Synonyms band, stripe, streakRelated Words blaze, crossbar, pinstripe

3 a pile or ridge of granular matter (as sand or snow) more than one boater has run aground on that treacherous bar of sand in the river Synonyms bank, drift, moundRelated Words snowbank, snowdrift; embankment, sandbar; heap, hill, mass, mountain, stack, tuft

4 a place of business where alcoholic beverages are sold to be consumed on the premises a bar that serves meals as well as drinks Synonyms barroom, café (also cafe), cantina [Southwest], dramshop, gin mill, grogshop [chiefly British], pub, public house [chiefly British], saloon, taproom, tavern, watering hole, watering placeRelated Words alehouse, barrelhouse, bistro, bottle club, brewpub, cabaret, dive, joint, nightclub, roadhouse, speakeasy, sports bar, wineshop; package store

5 an assembly of persons for the administration of justice rather than try and convict the alleged murderer in the mass media, let justice be done at the bar Synonyms court, bench, forum, tribunalRelated Words criminal court, judicatory, judicature, judiciary; high court, supreme court; court-martial, drumhead court-martial; inquisition, kangaroo court

6 something that makes movement or progress difficult the complication of the molecule is the biggest bar to reproducing it Synonyms balk, encumbrance, block, chain, clog, cramp, crimp, deterrent, drag, embarrassment, fetter, handicap, hindrance, holdback, hurdle, impediment, inhibition, interference, let, manacle, obstacle, obstruction, shackles, stop, stumbling block, trammelRelated Words catch, hitch, rub, snag; barrier, blockade, blockage, brick wall, stone wall; arrest, bit, brake, check, constraint, curb, hobble, rein, restraint; embargo, stoppage; delay, holdup, stall; burden, cumber, load; danger, hazard, peril, reef; adversity, difficulty, disadvantage, drawback, hardshipNear Antonyms catalyst, goad, impetus, incentive, spur, stimulant, stimulus; advantage, break, edge; aid, assistance, benefit, boost, handmaiden (also handmaid), help

7 something set up as an example against which others of the same type are compared we need to raise the bar for what is acceptable behavior in this situation Synonyms standard, barometer, benchmark, criterion, gold standard, grade, mark, measure, metric, par, touchstone, yardstickRelated Words case, example, instance; average, norm, rule; acme, apex, meridian, peak, pinnacle, summit, zenithNear Antonyms aberration, abnormality, deviation