bars 1 of 2

Definition of barsnext
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
With dozens of restaurants and bars in the complex there’s everything from burgers and pizza by the pool to artful Italian plates. Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 May 2026 Fans come to games and related events and spend money in and around stadiums, at nearby restaurants, bars, hotels, and retailers, all of which boosts the local economy and creates jobs. Miceal Chamberlain, Boston Herald, 19 May 2026 As sports leagues have expanded from four channels to an endless array of options that now includes streaming apps, bars and restaurants are forced to make a hard choice that will cost them either money up front, or customers lost/alienated. Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 May 2026 Santamaria’s codefendants, Hershel Tsikman and Hafizullah Ebady, were sentenced earlier in May to 10 years and eight years, respectively, behind bars. Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 19 May 2026 His most recent stint behind bars came after a 2020 arrest for his third DUI. Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 19 May 2026 As of Monday, Carpenter, 96, was behind bars at California Health Care Facility in Stockton. Alexiah Syrai Olsen, Sacbee.com, 19 May 2026 Simultaneously bars, and the most snide a contestant has been to the judges in a while. Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 12 May 2026 While gold bars and bullion are popular options, coins also have another layer of value — some have rare designs or historical significance, therefore commanding higher prices. Liz Knueven, CNBC, 12 May 2026
Verb
But the administration counters that the law creating the Temporary Status Protection Program bars any judicial review of which migrants may live and work in the United States. Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 20 May 2026 The company is also currently appealing a court order that bars it from hacking WhatsApp messages that stems from a lawsuit WhatsApp and its parent company, Meta, brought against NSO Group. Jude Joffe-Block, NPR, 19 May 2026 Budget reconciliation bills must comply with strict rules, including the Byrd Rule, which bars provisions deemed extraneous to federal spending or outside the jurisdiction of the committees that drafted them. Luke Fountain, CNBC, 18 May 2026 Filed by the Constitutional Accountability Center and Miami law firm Gelber Schachter & Greenberg, the suit argues that the transfer violates the Constitution’s Domestic Emoluments Clause, which bars states from providing financial benefits or gifts to a sitting president beyond an official salary. Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 15 May 2026 The government claimed that the program was unlawful under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, which bars credit discrimination based in part on race or ethnicity. Kristen Parisi, Fortune, 14 May 2026 The doctrine generally bars a party from raising a new argument on appeal that wasn’t raised earlier in the proceedings. Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 12 May 2026 California bars insurers from using AI to deny coverage based on medical necessity. Alon Bergman, STAT, 11 May 2026 Under federal immigration law, second‑degree bail jumping is classified as an aggravated felony, a designation that generally bars lawful permanent residents from seeking cancellation of removal and most other forms of relief. Hanna Park, CNN Money, 10 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bars
Noun
  • Western automakers have spent years trickling pixel-headlight features out cautiously, partly because regulations in markets like the US have historically been slow to allow adaptive driving beams in the first place.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 15 May 2026
  • The house has been preserved to highlight some of the more old-world aspects—spot wood beams, stone floors, and aqua window frames in nearly every room—for a taste of traditional Cycladic style.
    Elly Leavitt, Vogue, 14 May 2026
Noun
  • What to read next The first image below shows wind streaks over craters on the Red Planet, with the streaks extending to about 30 miles (50 km) in length.
    Monisha Ravisetti, Space.com, 20 May 2026
  • When were other notable sub-100,000 job creation streaks in the past half-century?
    Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 18 May 2026
Noun
  • Cooking utensils and small mounds of clothes are kept in plastic bags or heaped on the ground.
    Helen Regan, CNN Money, 16 May 2026
  • And intriguing earthen mounds, built by prehistoric Native Americans more than 1,000 years ago, dot Greenwood Village interpretive site.
    Robert Annis, Midwest Living, 16 May 2026
Noun
  • The proximity of so many good pubs close to the stadium, good public transport, a place behind the Gallowgate to watch away games.
    Andy Mitten, New York Times, 21 May 2026
  • Beneath are the roofs and cobbled streets of the medieval Old Town, where ancient pubs stand among jewelers specializing in local jet.
    Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
Noun
  • But through a series of deft legal maneuvers—joined to the ever more ambitious self-concepts of some international legal tribunals—Mauritius was able to win a second legal victory at another international tribunal, for the law of the sea.
    David Frum, The Atlantic, 2 Mar. 2026
  • The position will also represent the department in front of administrative tribunals such as the State Personnel Board and the California Department of Human Resources as well as assist the attorney general’s office on civil litigation matters.
    Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado Updated February 24, Sacbee.com, 24 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • The finale is leading to a big convention showdown between Hypergnosis and PINATA, which are each working through obstacles that any responsible company would iron out before going public with their product.
    Scott Tobias, Vulture, 17 May 2026
  • The incidents involving contact with chains, trailer hitches, poles, and curbs indicate recurring limitations in detecting smaller or irregular obstacles, especially during reversing maneuvers.
    Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 16 May 2026
Noun
  • The defense called just one witness – an expert in education administration and school safety who testified Parker did not breach professional standards or act with indifference.
    Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 18 May 2026
  • On top of misquoting statutes and misrepresenting legal standards, the filing also made broad claims about what constitutes doxing without citing a single case to support their stance.
    Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 18 May 2026
Verb
  • Israel prohibits many construction materials from entering Gaza, so the structure was created by welding sheets of metal together and painting them white.
    Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 15 May 2026
  • Shadé’s Law, passed in 2019, now prohibits people convicted of certain violent crimes from buying or possessing such weapons.
    Allen G. Breed, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Bars.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bars. Accessed 21 May. 2026.

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