bars 1 of 2

plural of bar
1
as in beams
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

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2
as in streaks
a line or long narrow section differing in color from the background the cat had a bar of white down her throat

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3
as in mounds
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

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4
5
as in tribunals
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

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6
7
as in standards
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

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bars

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of bar
1
as in stripes
to make stripes on barred the fence with white strips

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2
3
4
as in guards
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

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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 bars
Noun
Desserts include chocolate truffle torte, pumpkin–tahini cheesecake bars, white chocolate-cranberry bread pudding, cookies and brownies. Elaine Rewolinski, jsonline.com, 3 Nov. 2025 On the way out, as a staffer closed down the merch stand and the lobby bars’ slushy machines quietly hummed, Donegan brought up the lyric about caviar dreams. Dan Greene, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025 CocoAndré sells Dubai chocolate bars, truffles in the shape of cowboy boots and sugar skulls and Horchata lattes. Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Nov. 2025 There aren’t a lot of bars anywhere in the world that have a visitor center. Zach Wichter, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025 Andres pleaded guilty to the killing and was sentenced to nine years but walked free after just 18 months due to his good behavior while behind bars. Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2025 Salerno will revisit the case in the series, which will also feature Bianchi, who is alive in prison and has never told his story (Angelo Buono died behind bars in 2002). Peter White, Deadline, 3 Nov. 2025 What are some of your favorite bars on the third verse? Jayson Buford, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2025 For instance, alcohol can legally be consumed in bars, where one often meets and even talks to other people; meanwhile many states that have legalized recreational marijuana prohibit its use where it is sold, forcing the purchaser to take an additional step in order to get high in company. Dan Brooks, The Atlantic, 3 Nov. 2025
Verb
While candidates for office can still work the polls, Ohio law bars them from doing so in places where people may be voting for them. Patricia Gallagher Newberry, Cincinnati Enquirer, 4 Nov. 2025 But in the new guidance, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau asserts that federal law bars states from restricting medical debts from credit reports, arguing that only the federal government has this authority. CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025 That order bars federal agents from using chemical agents on protesters without agents facing an imminent threat or giving two prior warnings. Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2025 The unions argue that carrying out permanent layoffs during a funding lapse violates the Antideficiency Act, which bars agencies from obligating funds without congressional authorization, and exceeds executive authority under the Administrative Procedure Act. Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025 But in the new guidance, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau asserts that federal law bars states from restricting medical debts from credit reports, arguing that only the federal government has this authority. Kff Health News, Oc Register, 28 Oct. 2025 Comey filed a motion Monday to dismiss his charges without a trial, and said the Constitution allows people to speak out against the government and bars the government from retaliation. Ryan Mancini, The Hill, 23 Oct. 2025 The policy, which imposes new limitations on journalists’ access and bars them from soliciting information from the agency that has not been authorized for release, even if it is unclassified, raised warnings from media organizations and the majority of the Pentagon reporters refused to sign it. Connor Greene, Time, 22 Oct. 2025 The Tuesday administrative order from the court bars civil arrests, without a warrant, of a party or witness to proceedings at the local courthouse, within and around any of the Cook County courthouses. Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 18 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bars
Noun
  • Light wood beams and moldings, thick rugs underfoot, and minimalist furnishings tempt even the most dedicated skiers to stay indoors.
    Lori Keong, Architectural Digest, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Le Teendezvous was a converted horse stable — dim lights, wooden beams, and a smell that said livestock once lived here.
    Henry Selick, IndieWire, 6 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • The Broncos put to bed one of the last long losing streaks on their current ledger against the Raiders.
    Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Chris Kreider scored twice and Cutter Gauthier and Carlsson each had a goal and an assist to extend their point streaks to eight games for the Ducks.
    Oc Register, Oc Register, 7 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Boxes of white rice, cans of vegetables, chocolate chips and pasta rested at the top of one of the mounds of food.
    Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Japanese anemones produce dense mounds of deeply toothed foliage that remain nearly evergreen in mild climates.
    Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 27 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • British pubs can be intimidating for visitors.
    Daniel Wine, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Folks show up in full lederhosen, while polka and oompa tunes waft out of the town’s pubs and wineries.
    Erika Ebsworth-Goold, Travel + Leisure, 25 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • That panel included two former judges who had overseen international criminal tribunals, a former legal adviser to the British Foreign Office, and Amal Clooney, a British Lebanese human-rights lawyer and the wife of George Clooney.
    David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 5 Oct. 2025
  • Winding its way through tax tribunals and the county treasurer's office all the way to the Michigan Court of Appeals through a trail of unseen revocation notices, jurisdictional conflicts and behind-the-scenes bureaucratic handwringing, that eventually got worked out.
    Todd Spangler, Freep.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Sununu ultimately prevailed in his 2002 Senate campaign, but not without criticism and obstacles from the pro-Israel lobby due to his voting record, which some Jewish organizations and leaders perceived as anti-Israel.
    Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 4 Nov. 2025
  • With fewer obstacles in the air than on the road, autonomous flight might actually prove safer than driving.
    Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 4 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Rather, the slow start (by Ovechkin’s standards) to this season seemed due more to poor puck luck.
    Sean Gentille, New York Times, 6 Nov. 2025
  • For starters, he or she will be armed with some of the top TV and film incentives in the nation, crediting up to 40 percent of qualified expenses against taxes for productions that meet a series of minimum standards.
    Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • As this unfolds, the NCAA is also toying with changing its longstanding policy that prohibits college athletes and staff members from betting on professional sports.
    Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Immergut’s injunction allows federalization orders to technically remain in place but prohibits troops from being deployed in Oregon without clear legal authority.
    Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 7 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Bars.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bars. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.

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