I. bar 1 S1 W1 /bɑː $ bɑːr/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1100-1200 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: barre ]
1 . PLACE TO DRINK IN
a) a place where alcoholic drinks are served ⇨ pub :
The hotel has a licensed bar.
a cocktail bar
b) British English one of the rooms inside a pub:
The public bar was crowded.
2 . PLACE TO BUY DRINK a ↑ counter where alcoholic drinks are served:
They stood at the bar.
3 . a wine/coffee/snack etc bar a place where a particular kind of food or drink is served
4 . a breakfast bar British English a place in your kitchen at home where you eat breakfast or a quick meal
5 . BLOCK SHAPE a small block of solid material that is longer than it is wide:
a chocolate bar
a candy bar
bar of
a bar of soap
6 . PIECE OF METAL/WOOD a length of metal or wood put across a door, window etc to keep it shut or to prevent people going in or out:
houses with bars across the windows
7 . behind bars informal in prison:
Her killer was finally put behind bars.
8 . MUSIC a group of notes and ↑ rest s , separated from other groups by vertical lines, into which a line of written music is divided:
a few bars of the song
9 . bar to (doing) something written something that prevents you from achieving something that you want:
I could see no bar to our happiness.
10 . the bar
a) British English the group of people who are ↑ barrister s
b) American English an organization consisting of lawyers
11 . be called to the bar
a) British English to become a ↑ barrister
b) American English to become a lawyer
12 . ON COMPUTER SCREEN a long narrow shape along the sides or at the top of a computer screen, usually containing signs that you can ↑ click on:
the main menu bar at the top of the screen
the toolbar
⇨ ↑ scroll bar
13 . IN SPORTS the long piece of wood or metal across the top of the goal in sports such as football:
The ball hit the bar.
14 . PILE OF SAND/STONES a long pile of sand or stones under the water at the entrance to a ↑ harbour
15 . COLOUR/LIGHT a narrow band of colour or light
16 . UNIFORMS a narrow band of metal or cloth worn on a military uniform to show rank
17 . HEATER British English the part of an electric heater that provides heat and has a red light
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COLLOCATIONS (for Meaning 3)
■ types of bar
▪ a wine bar (=a bar selling mostly wine, in contrast to a pub)
He asked her to meet him in a trendy wine bar.
▪ a coffee bar
We met up in the student coffee bar.
▪ a sandwich/snack bar (=an informal restaurant or shop selling sandwiches/snacks)
I usually get some lunch from the sandwich bar.
▪ a burger bar (=an informal restaurant selling burgers and fast food)
The kids all hang out at the local burger bar.
▪ a juice bar (=a place selling fruit juices, usually freshly made)
The leisure centre also has a restaurant and a juice bar.
▪ a sushi bar (=a bar or informal restaurant selling sushi)
Have you tried that new sushi bar in town?
▪ a tapas bar (=a bar or informal restaurant serving small dishes of Spanish food)
Madrid is full of great tapas bars.
▪ a salad bar (=a part of a restaurant where you can serve yourself to a range of salads )
When you’ve chosen your pizza, please help yourself from the salad bar.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ bar a place where people go to buy and drink alcoholic drinks:
A man went into a bar and ordered a drink.
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Let’s meet up in the hotel bar.
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The city centre is full of wine bars and restaurants.
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The club has a restaurant and a cocktail bar.
▪ pub a building in Britain where alcohol can be bought and drunk, and where meals are often served:
Do you fancy going to the pub?
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a country pub
▪ public house British English formal a pub:
The fight took place outside a public house in the city centre.
▪ sb’s local informal a pub near where you live, especially one you often go to:
The Red Lion’s my local.
▪ inn a small hotel or pub, especially an old one in the countryside – often used in the name of the hotel or pub:
The Bull Inn dates back to the 15th century.
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The hotel was once a 17th century coaching inn (=used by people travelling by coach and horses) .
▪ gastropub a pub that is known to serve very good food:
a gastropub with a riverside restaurant
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the Windmill Gastropub
▪ tavern British English a pub in the past where you could also stay the night – used nowadays in the names of some pubs:
the Turf Tavern
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Marlowe was killed in a fight in a tavern.
▪ watering hole informal a bar, pub etc where people drink alcohol – often used humorously. A watering hole is also the name for a place where wild animals go to drink:
The bar became a popular watering hole for journalists.
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What’s your favorite watering hole?
▪ dive informal a bar, club etc that is cheap and dirty:
The place is a bit of dive.
▪ honky-tonk American English informal a cheap bar where country music is played:
They played in every honky-tonk in Tennessee.
▪ saloon a bar in the western United States. Also used in Britain about the part of a pub which has comfortable chairs where you can sit and relax:
I felt like a cowboy walking into a saloon in the Wild West.
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Do you want to stay in the saloon, or would rather go into the other bar?
■ people who work in a bar
▪ barman especially British English a man who serves drinks in a bar:
A big Irish barman pulled me a pint of beer.
▪ barmaid British English a woman who serves drinks in a bar:
I was working in the evenings as a barmaid.
▪ bartender especially American English someone who makes, pours, and serves drinks in a bar or restaurant:
The bartender gave him his change.
▪ bar staff the people serving drinks or food in a bar or pub:
The local pub is advertising for bar staff.
▪ landlord British English a man who owns or manages a pub:
He became violent and the landlord asked him to leave.
II. bar 2 BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle barred , present participle barring ) [transitive]
1 . to officially prevent someone from entering a place or from doing something
bar somebody from (doing) something
They seized his passport and barred him from leaving the country.
2 . to prevent people from going somewhere by placing something in their way:
She ran back, but Francis barred her way.
A locked gate barred my entrance to the wood.
3 . ( also bar up ) to shut a door or window using a bar or piece of wood so that people cannot get in or out
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ forbid to tell someone in a very strong way that they must not do something or that something is not allowed:
His doctor had strictly forbidden him to drink alcohol.
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It is forbidden to say such things.
▪ not allow to say that someone must not do or have something, and stop them doing or having it:
The company does not allow smoking inside the building.
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Mobile phones are not allowed in school.
▪ not let [not in passive] to not allow someone to do something. Not let is more informal than not allow :
My parents won’t let me stay out later than 11 o'clock.
▪ not permit [usually passive] if something is not permitted, a rule or law says that you must not do it. Not permit is more formal than not allow :
Candidates are not permitted to use dictionaries in this examination.
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Parking is not permitted here after 8 am.
▪ ban to say officially that people must not do or have something:
Parliament decided to ban fox-hunting.
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The book was banned in many countries.
▪ prohibit /prəˈhɪbət, prəˈhɪbɪt $ proʊ-/ to say officially that an action is illegal and make a law or rule about this:
Acts of vandalism are prohibited.
▪ bar [usually passive] to not allow someone to enter a place or do something, especially by preventing it officially:
Foreign journalists were barred from entering the country.
▪ proscribe formal to say officially that people are not allowed to do something:
The law proscribes discrimination in the workplace.
III. bar 3 BrE AmE preposition
1 . except:
We had recorded the whole album, bar one track.
2 . bar none used to emphasize that someone is the best of a particular group:
He’s the most talented actor in the country, bar none.
⇨ ↑ barring