Bar has 26 different meanings across 5 categories:
Noun · Verb · Suffix · Prep · Proper Noun
a rigid piece of metal or wood; usually used as a fastening or obstruction or weapon
"there were bars in the windows to prevent escape"
an obstruction (usually metal) placed at the top of a goal
"it was an excellent kick but the ball hit the bar"
the act of preventing
"there was no bar against leaving"
"money was allocated to study the cause and prevention of influenza"
(meteorology) a unit of pressure equal to a million dynes per square centimeter
"unfortunately some writers have used bar for one dyne per square centimeter"
a submerged (or partly submerged) ridge in a river or along a shore
"the boat ran aground on a submerged bar in the river"
the body of individuals qualified to practice law in a particular jurisdiction
"he was admitted to the bar in New Jersey"
a portable .30 caliber automatic rifle operated by gas pressure and fed by cartridges from a magazine; used by United States troops in World War I and in World War II and in the Korean War
"The museum display featured an old bar, which soldiers carried into battle during both World Wars."
a horizontal rod that serves as a support for gymnasts as they perform exercises
"The gymnast struggled to maintain balance while holding onto the bar during her routine."
(law) a railing that encloses the part of the courtroom where the judges and lawyers sit and the case is tried
"spectators were not allowed past the bar"
A solid, more or less rigid object of metal or wood with a uniform cross-section smaller than its length.
"The technician adjusted the regulator until the gauge read exactly ten bars."
A non-SI unit of pressure equal to 100,000 pascals, approximately equal to atmospheric pressure at sea level.
In plain English: A bar is a long, narrow piece of something, like chocolate or metal.
"They decided to meet at the bar after work."
Usage: Use "bar" as a noun to describe a specific unit of measurement for pressure, not as a verb meaning to obstruct or hinder. This scientific term applies strictly in contexts involving force per unit area, such as weather reports or tire inflation.
To obstruct the passage of (someone or something).
"The crowd surged forward, but a group of protesters formed a human chain to bar their way into the stadium."
In plain English: To bar something means to stop someone from entering or doing something by blocking their way.
"The fallen tree bar the road, preventing any cars from passing."
Usage: Use "bar" when you mean to physically block someone from entering a place or prevent access to something, such as barring the door against a storm. Do not use it to describe stopping a conversation or refusing to speak with someone, which requires words like "shut out" or "exclude."
Pronunciation of ¯, a symbol indicating an X-bar.
"The linguistics professor drew a bar above the syllable to mark its status as an X-bar in the phrase structure tree."
Except, other than, besides.
"There is no place to park bar a few spots right outside the stadium."
A coastal town, the capital of Bar Municipality, in southern Montenegro.
"My aunt insisted on going by Bar instead of her full name, claiming it sounded more modern and less formal at work."
Nickname from the female given name Barbara.
The word "bar" comes from the Old French term for a beam or gate, which itself likely originated from an unknown source in Vulgar Latin. It entered English through Middle English with this same meaning of a physical barrier or horizontal piece.