bar
/bɑːr/ (bre, ipa) · [bˈɑr] /bɑːr/ (ame, ipa) · [bˈɑr] /ˈbär/ (ame, mw) · /bɑː(r)/ (bre, ipa)
bar — verb
- barpresent simple I / you / we / they
- bars3rd person singular
- barring-ing form
- barredpast simple
1. to stop a person, activity, or plan from going forward, especially by refusing a
to stop a person, activity, or plan from going forward, especially by refusing access or permission.
Airport police barred Leo from entering the gate without a boarding pass.
bar + [person] from + -ing
Heavy snow barred the mountain road, so buses turned back at noon.
subject can be weather or a barrier
The school barred parents from parking beside the playground after two crashes.
A court order barred the company from selling the unsafe toy.
An old knee injury barred him from joining the rescue team.
文法句型
bar + [person] from + -ing
bar + entry/access/use
用法筆記
Often takes object + 'from' + -ing. The subject may be an authority, a rule, bad weather, or even an injury. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense is about stopping access or action, not fixing a bar across an opening.
常見錯誤
2. to fasten a door, gate, window, or similar opening with a strong piece across it
to fasten a door, gate, window, or similar opening with a strong piece across it so it cannot be opened.
Before bed, Nora barred the kitchen door with a thick wooden beam.
bar + [door] with [wood/metal piece]
The shopkeeper barred the front window after the storm warning on the radio.
Villagers barred the gate when they heard wolves near the sheep field.
The old church was barred from inside during the winter festival.
Tomás barred the cellar hatch before the floodwater reached the yard.
文法句型
bar + [door/window/gate]
[opening] + be barred from inside
用法筆記
Object is usually a door, gate, window, hatch, or another opening. The idea is physical security with a bar or beam across it. Distinguish from sense 1: here the opening itself is the direct object.
常見錯誤
bar — noun
- barsingular
- barsplural
1. a business or room where people buy and drink beer, wine, and other drinks.
a business or room where people buy and drink beer, wine, and other drinks.
We met at a small bar near Taipei Main Station after work.
meet at a bar
The hotel bar stayed open until midnight for tired guests.
hotel / airport / sports bar
A jazz band played in the bar while couples talked quietly.
Nina drank ginger ale in the bar because she was driving home.
文法句型
go to a bar
hotel / sports / wine bar
用法筆記
Used for the whole business or room. Distinguish from sense 3 (SERVING COUNTER): if you mean the long surface where drinks are handed over, that is the counter sense.
常見錯誤
2. in names like 'salad bar' or 'juice bar', a place or section built around one ma
in names like 'salad bar' or 'juice bar', a place or section built around one main thing to eat or sip.
The airport added a noodle bar beside the crowded sandwich shop.
[food] + bar
Guests made their own lunch at the salad bar by the window.
salad bar
A new coffee bar opened inside the bookshop on Zhongshan Road.
Children lined up at the ice-cream bar after the school play.
文法句型
[food/drink] + bar
用法筆記
Usually the second word in a compound naming what is sold there: coffee bar, noodle bar, salad bar. Distinguish from sense 1, which normally means a place mainly for alcoholic drinks.
常見錯誤
3. the long raised counter where staff hand people drinks or food.
the long raised counter where staff hand people drinks or food.
We waited at the bar until a server brought two menus.
wait at the bar
Jules leaned on the bar and watched the bartender cut lemons.
lean on the bar
Only three stools were free along the bar by the door.
Please leave the empty glasses on the bar after the party.
- counter
general word for a long service surface
- serving counter
more explicit term in restaurants or cafeterias
文法句型
at the bar
behind the bar
用法筆記
Common with 'at', 'on', and 'behind'. Distinguish from sense 1 (DRINKING PLACE): this sense is the surface where drinks or food are served, not the whole establishment.
常見錯誤
4. the level other people or things are judged against in comparison.
the level other people or things are judged against in comparison.
Her final project set the bar for the rest of the design class.
set the bar for [group]
The coach raised the bar by asking everyone to finish faster.
raise the bar
Parents at the meeting said the school should keep the bar high.
At the toy fair, judges still used that drop test as the bar.
文法句型
set / raise / lower the bar
the bar for [quality/performance]
用法筆記
Usually appears in the patterns 'set the bar', 'raise the bar', and 'the bar for ...'. It is mainly used for judging quality, performance, or expected behaviour.
常見錯誤
5. a straight rod made from metal or wood, often used to block, support, or hold so
a straight rod made from metal or wood, often used to block, support, or hold something.
A steel bar blocked the gate after the warehouse closed.
steel / iron bar
Workers lifted the stone with a metal bar and a rope.
lift [something] with a bar
The monkey gripped the cage bars and stared at the visitors.
Dad hung the wet towels over a wooden bar by the stove.
文法句型
metal / wooden bar
cage bars
用法筆記
Often names a rigid object with a practical job, such as blocking a gate, forming a cage, or holding things up. Distinguish from sense 6 (SOLID BLOCK), which is a shaped piece of a substance like soap or chocolate.
常見錯誤
6. a hard rectangular piece of soap, chocolate, gold, or similar material.
a hard rectangular piece of soap, chocolate, gold, or similar material.
Mina broke a bar of dark chocolate into squares for the cake.
a bar of chocolate
There was only half a bar of soap beside the sink.
a bar of soap
The museum displayed a gold bar behind thick glass.
Grandpa bought two energy bars before the long bus ride.
文法句型
a bar of [soap/chocolate/gold]
[energy / chocolate] bar
用法筆記
Usually followed by 'of' when you name the material: a bar of soap, a bar of chocolate, a bar of gold. Distinguish from sense 5, where the bar itself is the rigid object.
常見錯誤
7. the metal part inside an electric heater that turns red and gives off heat when
the metal part inside an electric heater that turns red and gives off heat when power runs through it
One heater bar glowed orange, but the other stayed dark.
collocation: heater bar
Dad replaced the broken bar in the old electric fire.
pattern: replace a bar
Dust burned on the hot bar and made the room smell bad.
The baby touched the heater bar and cried at once.
- heating element
broader term for the part that produces heat in many devices
- coil
used when the wire is wound into a spiral shape
- filament
more technical and often used for finer wire parts
用法筆記
Usually used for electric heaters or old electric fires. It names the heating part itself, not the whole machine.
8. a short section of music that has a set number of beats
a short section of music that has a set number of beats
The drummer counted four beats in each bar before practice began.
pattern: beats in each bar
Please start again from the third bar on page two.
pattern: from the third bar
Lena wrote two quiet bars for the flute solo.
The children clapped one bar slowly, then one bar fast.
用法筆記
Used for the part of the music, not the line between parts. In American English, 'measure' is often the more common word.
常見錯誤
9. the upright mark in written music that separates one bar from the next
the upright mark in written music that separates one bar from the next
The teacher drew a bar line after every four beats.
collocation: bar line
Mina forgot the last bar line, so the page looked messy.
A thick double bar marked the end of the song.
A red pen marked the missing bar line in Jacob's homework.
- bar line
the full standard term in music
- double bar
a special type used to mark a strong division or ending
用法筆記
Often appears as the full term 'bar line'. Distinguish from sense 8, where 'bar' means the musical section itself.
常見錯誤
10. one of the small screen lines that shows signal strength, battery power, or a si
one of the small screen lines that shows signal strength, battery power, or a similar level on a device
My phone showed only one bar, so I moved near the window.
pattern: one bar / two bars / full bars
The laptop battery dropped to two bars during the train ride.
screen indicator: battery bars
In the basement, Ella's tablet never gets more than three bars.
Four bars appeared after we stepped outside the tunnel.
- indicator
broader word for any sign showing a level or state
- signal bar
used when the line shows network strength
- battery bar
used when the line shows remaining power
用法筆記
Usually plural when talking about the amount shown on a screen. Distinguish from noun 18, which is the long area at the edge of a screen.
11. a narrow strip on a uniform, often showing rank or length of service
a narrow strip on a uniform, often showing rank or length of service
The captain wore two silver bars on each shoulder.
collocation: silver bars / shoulder bars
A new bar was sewn onto Rosa's police uniform.
passive: be sewn onto a uniform
The cadets checked every bar before the parade started.
One red bar on the sleeve marked ten years of service.
用法筆記
Most often used for military or police uniforms. The bar may be metal or cloth, depending on the uniform system.
12. something that stands in the way and stops a plan, change, or action from happen
something that stands in the way and stops a plan, change, or action from happening
High legal costs remain a bar to small families seeking justice.
pattern: a bar to something
Lack of child care became a bar to Maria's return to work.
With cameras outside city hall, fear was no bar to the nurses speaking out.
The rule is a serious bar to new housing in the town.
Poor transport can be a bar to regular hospital visits.
文法句型
a bar to something
no bar to something
用法筆記
Formal and usually singular. Most often appears in the pattern 'a bar to ...' and refers to something nonphysical that blocks progress.
常見錯誤
13. a unit used for measuring pressure, especially in tyres, machines, and weather r
a unit used for measuring pressure, especially in tyres, machines, and weather reports, equal to 100,000 pascals.
Before school, Mia's bike pump showed only 2 bar.
pattern: [number] bar
This coffee machine works best at 9 bar of pressure.
[number] bar of pressure
Dad checked the tyres and raised them to 2.4 bar.
Overnight, the weather station showed pressure below 1 bar again.
- pressure unit
general description rather than the exact unit name
- atmosphere
a similar pressure unit, but not exactly the same value
文法句型
[number] bar
[number] bar of pressure
用法筆記
Usually follows a number and often appears with 'of pressure'. Common in talk about tyres, coffee machines, air tanks, and weather data.
常見錯誤
14. the body of advocates permitted to speak for clients in the higher courts.
the body of advocates permitted to speak for clients in the higher courts.
Only members of the Bar could speak for clients in that old court.
members of the Bar
In 1952, only two women joined the Bar in that intake.
the Bar as a professional body
Students at King's College heard two speakers from the Bar describe court work.
At the call ceremony, the Bar welcomed mostly wealthy graduates.
- barristers
common label in British-style systems for these court advocates
- advocates
formal term stressing courtroom representation
文法句型
the Bar
members of the Bar
用法筆記
Usually written as 'the Bar' and treated as a singular professional body. Distinguish from sense 15, which can refer to lawyers more generally rather than those with higher-court speaking rights.
常見錯誤
15. lawyers considered as one profession or public body, especially when people spea
lawyers considered as one profession or public body, especially when people speak about them together.
The bar reacted strongly when the minister blamed defence lawyers.
the bar as the legal profession
At the swearing-in ceremony, half the new lawyers in the bar were women.
Senior judges and the bar met to discuss long court delays.
After the flood, the bar offered free legal help downtown.
- legal profession
clear formal phrase for lawyers as a whole
- lawyers
broader everyday term, less institutional in tone
文法句型
the bar
at the bar
用法筆記
Often used as a collective singular with verbs such as 'react', 'oppose', 'support', and 'meet'. Distinguish from sense 14, which is narrower and centres on higher-court advocates.
常見錯誤
16. in British and similar systems, the status gained when someone is admitted to pr
in British and similar systems, the status gained when someone is admitted to practise as a barrister in higher courts, especially in the phrase 'be called to the bar'.
After years of training, Priya was called to the bar in London.
be called to the bar
At dinner, Uncle David told us when he was called to the bar.
Olu moved to the capital after being called to the bar.
The family gathered in July to celebrate Mei's call to the bar.
- admission
formal word for being officially accepted into a profession
- qualification
focuses on the status or right gained
文法句型
be called to the bar
call to the bar
用法筆記
Mostly appears in the fixed phrase 'be called to the bar'. Distinguish from sense 17, which is the American exam sense.
常見錯誤
17. in the US, the exam a law graduate must pass before working as a lawyer.
in the US, the exam a law graduate must pass before working as a lawyer.
Sofia passed the bar on her second try last summer.
pass the bar
Ethan studies every night because he takes the bar in July.
take the bar
After law school, Maria moved home to prepare for the bar.
Only three students from our class failed the bar this year.
- bar examination
full formal name for the same exam
- licensing test
general description, less specific than the legal term
文法句型
take the bar
pass/fail the bar
prepare for the bar
用法筆記
Usually follows verbs such as 'take', 'sit', 'pass', 'fail', and 'prepare for'. Distinguish from sense 16, which is about admission as a barrister in British-style systems.
常見錯誤
18. a narrow strip at the top, side, or bottom of a screen where a program shows cho
a narrow strip at the top, side, or bottom of a screen where a program shows choices, icons, or information.
A blue bar ran along the left side of the photo app.
bar along the side of a screen
At the bottom, the bar showed how long the upload would take.
bar at the bottom shows information
The game hides its menu bar until you move the mouse.
A narrow bar on the right showed chat names and small profile icons.
- toolbar
specifically a bar holding tools or icons
- sidebar
specifically a bar at the side of the screen
- status bar
specifically a bar that shows current information
文法句型
bar at the top/side/bottom
menu/status/scroll bar
用法筆記
Usually takes a place phrase such as 'at the top', 'on the left', or 'at the bottom'. It is a broad label that can cover menu bars, sidebars, scroll bars, and status bars.
常見錯誤
bar — preposition
1. used to show that one person, thing, or small part is not included in what you h
used to show that one person, thing, or small part is not included in what you have just said.
Bar one empty seat, the train was full all the way.
bar + noun phrase at clause start
All the shops were closed, bar the bakery near the bridge.
all + bar + excluded item
Everyone joined Rosa for lunch, bar her brother in Kaohsiung.
The dog ate every biscuit bar the last broken one.
Bar a short delay at Taoyuan, the flight was smooth.
- except
the normal everyday word in both speech and writing
- except for
slightly longer and common when one detail is being singled out
- apart from
common in conversation and can sometimes mean either exclusion or addition from context
- including
shows that a person or thing is part of the group, not left out
文法句型
bar + noun phrase
all/everyone/everything + bar + noun phrase
用法筆記
Mostly used in British English and more often in writing than in casual speech. It comes directly before the excluded noun phrase, often after a broad statement such as 'everyone came' or 'all the shops were closed'.