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

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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 The physical barriers – like walls and fencing – will be more prominent outside the park, according to current plans. — Ashley Killough, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026 Discover the three invisible barriers that hold back high achievers and how to reframe each situation, with tips from negotiation expert Kwame Christian. — Courtney Connley-Hampton, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026 Some sports lower those barriers more effectively than others. — Lindsay Davenport, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2026 In May, businesses and organizations convened by the foundation called for governments to use policy to remove economic barriers to resale and repair while supporting infrastructure and investment for textile-to-textile recycling. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 18 Aug. 2026 Quantum computers, unfortunately, may be able to break these barriers. — Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 18 Aug. 2026 Among the ideas are additional bike lanes and barriers to create a buffer between bicycles and cars. — James Taylor, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026 Tombo Banda, managing director of CrossBoundary Energy, said Chinese factories are producing more vehicle s than the domestic market can absorb while exports face mounting barriers. — ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026 The measure is intended to get ahead of Chinese manufacturers, who have dodged previous US trade barriers by shifting production between a litany of third countries. — Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barriers
  1. fences
  2. walls
  3. barricades
  4. obstacles
Noun
  • The thieves broke through multiple fences to gain access to the storage unit.
    — Carmela Karcher, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • However, the access point to the north side of Friendship Park, situated between the primary and secondary border fences, remains closed.
    — Alexandra Mendoza, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of fences
Noun
  • Plywood shelves lined the walls, their planks bowed in the middle.
    — Madhuri Vijay, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Attesting to his labor is an ovoid pavilion at the exhibition’s center recreating Brancusi’s studio, chock-a-block with his myriad tools and flanked by walls on both sides bearing letters, photographs, and archival items.
    — Ara H. Merjian, ARTnews.com, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of walls
Noun
  • Farmers blocked the highways leading into the city while demonstrators erected barricades throughout Cochabamba, occupied the central plaza, and halted transportation and commerce.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Officers pointed guns, sirens were sounded, and barricades went up at the gate entrance, KEYT reported.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of barricades
Noun
  • Dad and kid navigate various obstacles and their own family issues in a touching story exploring grief and adulthood.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The design is meant to move around any obstacles, including the free weights collection near your pilates mat, meaning no more sweaty spots in your home gym.
    — Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 20 Aug. 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 22 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on barriers

Nglish: Translation of barriers for Spanish Speakers

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