barred 1 of 2

adjective

ˈbärd How to pronounce barred (audio)
Definition of barrednext
1
as in striped
having stripes a tabby is a barred cat, often with black stripes

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in prohibited
that may not be permitted smoking is barred inside the restaurant

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

barred

2 of 2

verb

past tense of bar
1
as in streaked
to make stripes on barred the fence with white strips

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in forbade
to order not to do or use or to be done or used corporal punishment has long been barred in most public schools

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in excluded
to prevent the participation, consideration, or inclusion of beach-goers are barred from walking in roped-off sections of the beach to protect nesting birds

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in guarded
to disallow entry into (a place) by means of a physical barrier at the entry point the bikeway was barred by a huge fallen tree

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of barred
Adjective
Teens as young as 13 will be able to use a limited ChatGPT, while under-13 users remain barred. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2025 In 2023, a barred owl known as Owen was rescued near Boston’s Faneuil Hall after ingesting rat poison. — Nara Schoenberg, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2025
Verb
He was barred from competing after signing a brand deal with a Nathan's rival. — Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 4 July 2026 The trial court dismissed the petition as time-barred on May 1, 2025, concluding it was filed one day past the 365-day jurisdictional deadline. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 24 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for barred
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barred
  1. striped
  2. prohibited
  3. streaked
  4. forbade
  5. excluded
  6. guarded
  7. forbidden
  8. banned
Adjective
  • For a pop of color, tie a striped scarf around your waist as a cummerbund.
    — Andrea Zendejas, Vogue, 9 July 2026
  • Porbeagle sharks — which stick around the Bay State all year — have been spotted several times in the last week chomping on striped bass that fishermen caught.
    — Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 6 July 2026
Definition of striped
Adjective
  • There is, however, room for questions about where the line between prohibited and acceptable political involvement will fall in practice.
    — BrieAnna J. Frank, USA Today, 11 July 2025
  • The list of prohibited and restricted items, as found on the CBP website, includes alcohol, biological materials, firearms, food and produce such as fruits and vegetables, soil, wildlife, fish, and gold, among other items.
    — Dan Perry, Newsweek, 28 Feb. 2025
Definition of prohibited
Verb
  • Tracers from air defense fire streaked through the air as a huge pall of black smoke rose into the sky.
    — Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
  • Remove brown, yellowing, streaked, and spotted leaves by cutting them off as close to the ground as possible.
    — SJ McShane, Martha Stewart, 18 June 2026
Definition of streaked
Verb
  • Variety reported that the wedding's digital invitations came with non-disclosure agreements that forbade invitees from spilling the beans about the ceremony.
    — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 3 July 2026
  • Almost 50 years ago, the Islamic Republic first took the comfort of religion away and then forbade music and, in the process, isolated me even further.
    — Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 29 June 2026
Definition of forbade
Verb
  • Trustee Robert Jones renewed his worries that the creation of a subdivision of only the Sacramento and Yolo County portions of the district in April excluded conservative voters in El Dorado County who would likely to vote against the bond measure.
    — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 9 July 2026
  • Food and drink concessionaires, professional caterers, HOA clubhouses, golf courses, event planners — any purveyor that’s not a public restaurant, food truck, flea market stall or food hall vendor — are also excluded from the roundup.
    — Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 8 July 2026
Definition of excluded
Verb
  • At its heart, a fourth-century Christian basilica overlooking one of the city’s main thoroughfares, while two watchtowers guarded its outskirts.
    — Anne Doran for ARTnews, Robb Report, 7 July 2026
  • But Pierre arrives guarded, carrying a secret that will change everything.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 6 July 2026
Definition of guarded
Adjective
  • More recently, mathematicians have been able to adapt Erdős’ method to get better estimates of Ramsey numbers where the forbidden cliques differ vastly in size.
    — Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 26 June 2026
  • And thank God for that, because forbidden love is my favorite type of drama to watch on Love Island.
    — Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 16 June 2026
Definition of forbidden
Verb
  • Certain tags have been more likely to get a post deleted or banned on Rednote, screenshots and searches show.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 July 2026
  • Along stretches of the Jersey Shore, tents, canopies and cabanas have been banned or restricted for the last two years.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
Definition of banned

Browse Nearby Words

barrancas
barred
barrel
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Barred.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barred. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on barred

Nglish: Translation of barred for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of xeric

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All