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
Beware that many of the bars suggested by ChatGPT (crack open a guide book, loser) may have gone out of business or changed their names, as bars open and close all the time. Anton Hur, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 June 2026 Jurors could have sentenced Anthony to as little as two years in prison or up to the rest of his life behind bars. N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 10 June 2026 When temperatures climb, there’s always the option to cool off inside the city's many museums, cocktail bars, and restaurants. Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 9 June 2026 For the past week, as the New York Knicks have won their first two games in their first NBA finals appearance since 1999, New Yorkers have flocked to bars, parks, and streets to turn the city into a watch party extending just about anywhere where there is a TV screen in sight. Dan Adler, Vanity Fair, 9 June 2026 The new law to let bars stay open later during the World Cup is seen by Healey and other key lawmakers as a test run. Neal Riley, CBS News, 9 June 2026 Nick Pasqual was sentenced Tuesday to more than three decades behind bars for the 2024 stabbing of his ex-girlfriend, Allie Shehorn. Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 3 June 2026
Verb
In a bid to boost these efforts, Nigeria’s pensions regulator in May waived a rule that bars funds from investing in companies that fail to demonstrate profitability for three years. Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 3 June 2026 The order explicitly bars the government from creating a mandatory licensing or preclearance requirement for new AI models, making the government’s move a request, not a rule. Jared Perlo, NBC news, 2 June 2026 Colombia’s constitution bars current left-wing President Gustavo Petro from seeking re-election. Sebastian Jimenez, CNN Money, 31 May 2026 The Consumer Legal Remedies Act (Civil Code § 1770) independently bars misrepresentation of the standard, quality, or characteristics of goods and services, and authorizes both injunctive relief and actual damages. Corey Martin, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026 Her family has engaged a Sydney lawyer to challenge the order, which bars the mother from Australia until February 2028. ABC News, 25 May 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bars
Noun
  • According to the team, each isotope produces a distinct resonance pattern when exposed to neutron beams across different energy levels.
    Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 28 May 2026
  • Niall Horan beams on stage while performing at Radio 1's Big Weekend in Sunderland, England, on May 23.
    People Staff, PEOPLE, 28 May 2026
Noun
  • Record streaks at risk The S & P 500 fell Wednesday, putting its nine-week winning streak in jeopardy.
    Adrian van Hauwermeiren, CNBC, 3 June 2026
  • To be fair, two of those six-game losing streaks were part of double-digit skids that season (13 games and 11 games).
    Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 1 June 2026
Noun
  • Following the rescue, photos shared by the agency show mounds of garbage lining the floor where the chute was located.
    Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 8 June 2026
  • Nearby, Gloria Amposah was barely visible among mounds of women’s tops and dresses from the Netherlands.
    Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 8 June 2026
Noun
  • In Scotland, which has its own semiautonomous government, local authorities can allow pubs to stay open until 30 minutes after matches end.
    ABC News, ABC News, 1 June 2026
  • Izakaya, often translated as Japanese pubs, are casual eateries with an emphasis on drinks and shareable plates of food.
    Jessica Kozuka, Travel + Leisure, 1 June 2026
Noun
  • Located just 2 miles away from the former insurance building that housed the residual mechanism, the ICC was set up as a permanent, global court to prosecute humanity’s worst crimes and forestall the need to create ad hoc tribunals for every conflict.
    ABC News, ABC News, 20 May 2026
  • 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
Noun
  • The winner in November will lead the country's most populous state, facing a large deficit and other obstacles, including the state's high cost of living, homelessness and wildfire risk.
    Marisa Lagos, NPR, 6 June 2026
  • Despite the ongoing ups and downs of the housing market, including economic cycles and affordability obstacles including post-pandemic high interest rates, low inventory, and soaring prices, women – particularly Millennials – have continued to show resiliency.
    Kathy Collins, Fortune, 6 June 2026
Noun
  • Among other changes, the law requires health officials to inspect the Aurora facility at least every three months to ensure the detention center abides by safety standards related to food and water quality, confinement conditions and medical services.
    Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 9 June 2026
  • The legislation clarifies the definition of data centers and allows the state Department of Environmental Quality to set the standards for data centers’ water usage, NC Newsline reported.
    Mary Ramsey Updated June 8, Charlotte Observer, 9 June 2026
Verb
  • Legal and privacy concerns The lawsuit accuses Amazon of violating the Federal Trade Commission Act, which prohibits deceptive and unfair business practices.
    Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 4 June 2026
  • When a court issues a domestic violence protective order, federal law prohibits the restrained person from possessing a gun.
    Sativa Banks, The Conversation, 4 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Bars.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bars. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.

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