barriers

noun

plural of barrier
as in fences
a physical object that blocks the way there was a big barrier plastered with signs saying "Keep Out" around the trash compactor

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 barriers In Puerto San Carlos, a fishing town of about 5,700 people, some feared high tides and pounding waves from Polo could breach barriers and send seawater into the community. — Arkansas Online, 29 Sep. 2026 Still visible on Google Maps, but even in August 2021 there were signs of potential safety issues — barriers and orange netting on the side. — Sara MacHi, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026 Technology Alone Will Not Create An Advisory Firm Across Europe, the main barriers are practical challenges. — Bas Kniphorst, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026 Chicago has long faced unequal health outcomes, especially in Black and brown communities dealing with poverty, cultural barriers to trust, and limited access to care, food and pharmacies. — Garth Walker, Chicago Tribune, 28 Sep. 2026 Cheng Xin / Getty Images Both sides will hold regular talks on potential investment opportunities and barriers, enhancing policy transparency and predictability, and responding to enterprises’ concerns, the ministry said. — Reuters, NBC news, 28 Sep. 2026 Her mission is to focus on the financial barriers and many first-generation students face. — Alexis Benveniste, Architectural Digest, 28 Sep. 2026 Following significant amendments in the final days of the legislative session, community college leaders are concerned the new laws will end up creating more barriers than support for the system’s growing baccalaureate program. — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 22 Sep. 2026 Physical barriers and blockers force users to take an extra step before opening addictive apps. — Ashley Lynch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barriers
  1. fences
  2. walls
  3. barricades
  4. obstacles
Noun
  • The legacy data center strategy relied on secrecy—unmarked, fortress-like facilities hidden behind high security fences with minimal community outreach.
    — Kevin Brown, Forbes.com, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Decorative brick columns will be constructed at the end of the fences and brick paving will be placed between the road’s concrete barrier and the sidewalk.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of fences
Noun
  • The tomb’s entrance passage, with narrowing walls and descending axis, creates a liminal stage to orient the body before entering the burial chamber.
    — Jacqueline Ortoleva, Scientific American, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Beyond the walls of the company’s London headquarters, which is filled with thousands of its plushy pink octopus mascots, Jackson’s empire may look like an unwieldy one.
    — Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of walls
Noun
  • There are plenty of barricades built with the explicit goal of keeping certain types of artists from access ing those rooms.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Even the barricades of the Paris Commune in the finale are little more than bloodied background color.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of barricades
Noun
  • Emotional Women Telenovelas have largely reinforced the image of Latin American women as highly emotional and unstable figures who could only reach happiness by way of a sequence of obstacles.
    — Damaly Gonzalez, ARTnews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Rather than simply detecting physical obstacles, the system distinguishes between different types of messes and household objects to optimize cleaning strategies.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of obstacles

Browse Nearby Words

barrier reefs
barriers
barring
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Cite this Entry

“Barriers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barriers. Accessed 3 Oct. 2026.

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