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barrier definition

bar·rier (bar′ē ər, ber′-)

noun

  1. Obsolete a fortress, stockade, etc. for defending an entrance or gate
  2. a thing that prevents passage or approach; obstruction, as a fence, wall, etc.
  3. anything that holds apart, separates, or hinders racial barriers, barriers to progress
  4. a customs gate on a country's border
  5. ice shelf
  6. a high fence of stakes enclosing the area in which a tournament of knights was held; lists
  7. Horse Racing the movable gate used to keep the horses in line at the starting point

Etymology: ME barrere < OFr barriere < barre, bar

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

medical barrier definition - medical

barrier Synonyms

barrier

n.

bar, obstruction, difficulty, hindrance, obstacle, hurdle, fortification, stumbling block, fence, sound or sonic or transonic barrier, restriction, limitation, restraint, impediment, let, drawback, check, preventive, encumbrance, stop, stopper, block, stay, bulwark, barricade, rampart, wall, palisade, picket, roadblock, earthwork, breastwork, outwork, embankment, parapet, blockade, moat, trench, barbed wire, entanglement, pale, limit, boundary, iron curtain, bamboo curtain.

Antonyms way*, passage*, opening. See syn. study at impediment.impediment.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

barrier Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • overcome: To help overcome these barriers TP Herts applied for an Innovation into Action Grant, which was awarded in June 2003.

Adjective modifier

  • non-tariff: Indeed, studies reveal no systematic relationship between a country's average level of tariff and non-tariff barriers and its subsequent economic growth rate.

Noun used with modifier

  • tariff: That trend to world markets is irreversible unless the major economic powers set up trade and tariff barriers.
barrier usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

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MLA Style

"barrier." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/barrier>

APA Style

barrier. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/barrier

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