/ beə(r); NAmE ber/ adjective , verb
■ adjective ( barer , bar·est )
1.
not covered by any clothes :
She likes to walk around in bare feet .
—see also barefoot
2.
( of trees or countryside ) not covered with leaves; without plants or trees :
the bare branches of winter trees
a bare mountainside
3.
( of surfaces ) not covered with or protected by anything :
bare wooden floorboards
Bare wires were sticking out of the cable.
The walls were bare except for a clock.
4.
( of a room, cupboard, etc. ) empty :
The fridge was completely bare.
bare shelves
5.
[ only before noun ] just enough; the most basic or simple :
The family was short of even the bare necessities of life.
We only had the bare essentials in the way of equipment.
He did the bare minimum of work but still passed the exam.
She gave me only the bare facts of the case.
It was the barest hint of a smile.
➡ note at naked , plain
► bare·ness noun [ U ]
•
IDIOMS
- the bare bones (of sth)
- with your bare hands
- lay sth bare
—more at cupboard
■ verb
[ vn ] to remove the covering from sth, especially from part of the body :
She was paid several thousand dollars to bare all (= take all her clothes off) for the magazine.
•
IDIOMS
- bare your soul (to sb)
- bare your teeth
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English bær (noun), barian (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch baar .