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
The low-lying coastal area is known for its powdery white sand beaches dotted with vacation homes, waterfront bars and seafood shacks. — Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2026 A little under $700,000 was improperly reimbursed because those dollars went towards visits to an escape room, restaurants, bars, a strip club and a gym, according to investigators. — Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 10 Oct. 2026 Dulang serves up local Balinese flavors in a charming gazebo setting, and there are a pair of bars—one uber-sophisticated and perched high and the other a swim-up down by the beach. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Oct. 2026 The Sox’s pitching plans are a daily mystery, and worries over Grant Taylor’s right arm falling off have become nightly debates in South Side bars. — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 9 Oct. 2026 And Canary Wharf has more than doubled the number of retailers, restaurants, bars, and cafes since the pandemic. — Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2026 Petraske’s protégés fanned out across New York and then the country, opening outstanding bars from Chicago to Dallas to Los Angeles. — Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2026 Everywhere are cosseting details like stiffer mounting bushes and extra damping bars. — New Atlas, 2 Oct. 2026 The Entertainment District Unit is a team created in 2025 to improve nightlife safety by targeting crime near bars, nightclubs, and sports and entertainment venues. — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 1 Oct. 2026
Verb
Specifically, the law prohibits municipal governments from requiring businesses to set specific wages, benefits or working conditions under contract, and bars them from forcing businesses to join task forces formed to address those issues. — Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 10 Oct. 2026 One of Broward’s rare breakout pop acts, Black Violin’s Wil B and Kev Marcus are Dillard High grads who began turning heads playing hip-hop on viola and violin at Fort Lauderdale bars about 20 years ago. — Greg Carannante, Sun Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2026 The policy also bars Claude from recommending whom authorities should investigate, arrest, or charge. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 8 Oct. 2026 Separately, the standard bars new dyeing and finishing operations, excluding purely physical finishing, from sending wastewater to municipal treatment plants, according to the environment ministry. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 7 Oct. 2026 State law bars state resources, including staff time, from being used for political campaigns. — Robert Tann, Denver Post, 6 Oct. 2026 Immigration and the border California law bars local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration officials except in the cases of people convicted of certain high-level felonies. — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026 The law bars discrimination based on race, color or national origin in programs that receive federal money. — Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026 Although the agreement bars using the AI model for domestic surveillance or autonomous weapons, the groups still fear the technology is being used to select targets in the US’s ongoing conflict with Iran. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bars
Noun
  • Crisp, white linens and white curtains are a striking counterpoint, with texture arriving in unfinished, stone support beams.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
  • For months before today’s launch, Google has been anticipating those problems on Earth, shaking spacecraft to simulate the launch and bombarding its chips with proton beams to test their response to radiation.
    — Peter Hall, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The Zapata brothers, jovial and welcoming, both had thick, curly black hair with streaks of gray.
    — Jordan Salama, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Those streaks — winning the West and owning a winning division record — ended last year.
    — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 12 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Inside, the line wraps around the room, and cups everywhere are filled with fluffy mounds of Greek yogurt crowned with fresh fruit, nuts, dark chocolate cacao nibs and other ingredients.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Stem cells, peptides, testosterone, pills, mounds of supplements just to keep everything balanced.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • British pubs are struggling, with 161 shutting in the first quarter of 2026, up 26% from a year earlier.
    — Sam Birchall, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The group became fixtures on London’s burgeoning pub-rock circuit, mixing rock, R&B and rockabilly at pubs, clubs and squat benefits around the city.
    — SPIN Staff, SPIN, 8 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, while posturing as the guardian of a democratic transition, governed through massacres and military tribunals.
    — Abdelrahman ElGendy, Time, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Any matters requiring legal enforcement are referred directly to the Texas judicial system, said the tribunal, which likened its work to the services provided by Jewish Beth Din courts and Catholic ecclesiastical tribunals.
    — David Crary, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Furthermore, the whiskers are in front, preventing the drone from detecting sideways obstacles like random jagged branches in a forest.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The legal and political obstacles to taking custody of those assets for onward transfer to Ukraine may be too formidable to resolve in time to help Kyiv in the coming year.
    — Eric Ciaramella, Foreign Affairs, 14 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Often, the company sets its standards based on Japan’s service protocol, counter design and product innovation.
    — Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The worst idea is a finalized regulatory rule — rolling back fuel economy standards for automobiles that had been strengthened during the Biden administration.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Opt for scalloped French tips with blue fresco detailing, or stripes the color of the Tuscan sun.
    — Daisy Maldonado, InStyle, 26 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Bars.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bars. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

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