/ bɑː(r); NAmE / noun , verb , preposition
■ noun
FOR DRINKS / FOOD
1.
[ C ] a place where you can buy and drink alcoholic and other drinks :
We met at a bar called the Flamingo.
the island's only licensed bar (= one that is allowed to sell alcoholic drinks)
a cocktail bar
( BrE )
I found David in the bar of the Red Lion (= a room in a pub where drinks are served) .
—see also barroom , lounge bar , minibar , public bar , saloon bar
2.
[ C ] a long wide wooden surface where drinks, etc. are served :
She was sitting at the bar.
It was so crowded I couldn't get to the bar.
3.
[ C ] (especially in compounds) a place in which a particular kind of food or drink is the main thing that is served :
a sandwich bar
a coffee bar
—see also oxygen bar , snack bar , wine bar
OF CHOCOLATE / SOAP
4.
[ C ] a piece of sth with straight sides :
a bar of chocolate / soap
candy bars
OF METAL / WOOD
5.
[ C ] a long straight piece of metal or wood. Bars are often used to stop sb from getting through a space :
He smashed the window with an iron bar.
All the ground floor windows were fitted with bars.
a five-bar gate (= one made with five horizontal bars of wood)
—picture at bar-bell , high jump
—see also bull bars , roll bar , space bar , tow bar
IN ELECTRIC FIRE
6.
[ C ] a piece of metal with wire wrapped around it that becomes red and hot when electricity is passed through it
IN SPORTS
7.
the bar [ sing. ] the crossbar of a goal :
His shot hit the bar.
OF COLOUR / LIGHT
8.
[ C ] a band of colour or light :
Bars of sunlight slanted down from the tall narrow windows.
THAT PREVENTS STH
9.
[ C , usually sing. ] bar (to sth) a thing that stops sb from doing sth :
At that time being a woman was a bar to promotion in most professions.
—see also colour bar
IN MUSIC
10.
( BrE ) ( NAmE meas·ure ) [ C ] one of the short sections of equal length that a piece of music is divided into, and the notes that are in it :
four beats to the bar
the opening bars of a piece of music
—picture at music
LAW
11.
the Bar [ sing. ] ( BrE ) the profession of barrister (= a lawyer in a higher court) :
to be called to the Bar (= allowed to work as a qualified barrister )
12.
the Bar [ sing. ] ( NAmE ) the profession of any kind of lawyer
MEASUREMENT
13.
a unit for measuring the pressure of the atmosphere, equal to a hundred thousand newtons per square metre
—see also millibar
•
IDIOMS
- not have a bar of sth
- behind bars
■ verb
( -rr- ) [ vn ]
CLOSE WITH BARS
1.
[ usually passive ] to close sth with a bar or bars :
All the doors and windows were barred.
BLOCK
2.
to block a road, path, etc. so that nobody can pass :
Two police officers were barring her exit.
We found our way barred by rocks.
PREVENT
3.
bar sb (from sth / from doing sth) to ban or prevent sb from doing sth :
The players are barred from drinking alcohol the night before a match.
•
IDIOMS
see hold noun
■ preposition
except for sb/sth :
The students all attended, bar two who were ill.
It's the best result we've ever had, bar none (= none was better) .
•
IDIOMS
see shouting
••
VOCABULARY BUILDING
a bar of chocolate
If you want to describe a whole unit of a particular substance, or a group of things that are normally together, for example when you buy them, you need to use the correct word.
a bar of soap / chocolate; a candy bar
a block of ice / stone / wood
a bolt / roll / length of fabric
a cube of ice / sugar; an ice / sugar cube
a loaf of bread
a roll of film / carpet
a slab of marble / concrete
a stick of gum
a bunch of bananas / grapes
a bunch / bouquet of flowers
a bundle of papers / sticks
a set / bunch of keys
a set of chairs / glasses / clothes / guitar strings
••
WORD ORIGIN
noun senses 1 to 12 and verb Middle English : from Old French barre (noun), barrer (verb), of unknown origin.
noun sense 13 early 20th cent.: from Greek baros weight.