Bars

How to spell bars

4 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce bars

What does bars mean?

1. nounRigid lengths of metal or wood, often used as a barrier or support.
2. nounEstablishments where alcoholic drinks are served at a counter.
3. verbBlocks a way or prevents someone from doing something (third-person singular).

Bars in a sentence

• noun

  Thick steel bars covered the basement window.

• noun

  Most of the bars near the harbour close at midnight.

• verb

  A locked gate bars the only path to the beach.

• noun

  The old prison cell had rusted iron bars across the door.

• noun

  The city centre is full of crowded bars on weekends.

• verb

  The new policy bars staff from claiming overtime.

Where does bars come from?

Language of origin: French

The singular 'bar' came into English in the late 1100s from the Old French 'barre', meaning a beam, gate, or rod used to block a way. That French word grew from Vulgar Latin 'barra', a length of wood or metal laid across an opening, though the deeper origin before Latin is uncertain and may be Celtic. From the literal idea of a wooden rail the meaning branched widely: the 'bar' in a courtroom was the railing separating the public from the judge, which is why lawyers are 'called to the bar', and the 'bar' where drinks are served was originally the counter that barred customers from the stock behind it. The plural and the verb both simply add -s to that one small root, so 'bars' can mean several rods, several drinking places, or the action of someone who blocks the way. Because the word is short and entirely regular, the only thing to remember is that the plural is a plain -s with no doubling of the r.

How the word is built

• bar (rod, barrier)
• -s (plural / third-person singular ending)