barred 1 of 2

adjective

ˈbärd How to pronounce barred (audio)
Definition of barrednext
1
as in striped
having stripes a tabby is a barred cat, often with black stripes

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in prohibited
that may not be permitted smoking is barred inside the restaurant

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

barred

2 of 2

verb

past tense of bar
1
as in streaked
to make stripes on barred the fence with white strips

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in forbade
to order not to do or use or to be done or used corporal punishment has long been barred in most public schools

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in excluded
to prevent the participation, consideration, or inclusion of beach-goers are barred from walking in roped-off sections of the beach to protect nesting birds

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in guarded
to disallow entry into (a place) by means of a physical barrier at the entry point the bikeway was barred by a huge fallen tree

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of barred
Adjective
There’s broad agreement the native owls are at risk, but the animal rights organizations behind the opposition letter this week say killing barred owls is not the answer. — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024 Dogs and buzzards fought over a dead cat in the middle of the street, directly across from an officer who watched the ferocious struggle from a barred window, twirling the ends of his moustache. — Alexander Sammon, Harper's Magazine, 25 July 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barred
  1. striped
  2. prohibited
  3. forbade
  4. excluded
  5. guarded
  6. forbidden
  7. eliminated
  8. prevented
Adjective
  • He was shackled at his wrists and waist and was wearing a black-and-gray, striped jail uniform and orange crocks on his feet.
    — Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2025
  • Two figures – one in a breezy, colorful striped sundress and a white hair band, another with cropped hair in a white t-shirt and denim miniskirt – hold hands.
    — Natasha Gural, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
Definition of striped
Adjective
  • The list of prohibited and restricted items, as found on the CBP website, includes alcohol, biological materials, firearms, food and produce such as fruits and vegetables, soil, wildlife, fish, and gold, among other items.
    — Dan Perry, Newsweek, 28 Feb. 2025
  • For example, Customs and Border Protection in the United States maintains a list of prohibited and restricted items for anyone entering the US and links to other departments if permits are required.
    — Erica Kasper, WIRED, 21 Aug. 2024
Definition of prohibited
Verb
  • Collecting the bodies For nearly three days, corpses littered the streets of Pine village, after villagers said fighters forbade them from collecting their dead, according to three of the locals CNN spoke to.
    — Tamara Qiblawi, CNN, 17 Mar. 2025
  • When his boss, the Archbishop of Vienna, forbade the wicked play The Marriage of Figaro to be composed as an opera, Mozart composed the comic opera anyway.
    — Chip Bell, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
Definition of forbade
Verb
  • But when GLP-1s are excluded, that figure drops sharply to $370 million.
    — Bruce Gil, Quartz, 25 Mar. 2025
  • Certain nations may also be excluded from the tariffs, according to a separate report from Bloomberg.
    — Hakyung Kim, CNBC, 24 Mar. 2025
Definition of excluded
Verb
  • The 23-year-old has guarded big men aplenty all season.
    — Fred Katz, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
  • Major League Baseball franchises are guarded in so many ways.
    — John Perrotto, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Definition of guarded
Adjective
  • Interpretations of the Torah, as well as associations with the Holocaust, have led tattoos to long be considered forbidden or taboo within Judaism, though contemporary attitudes towards it have somewhat shifted.
    — Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2025
  • Thompson, Ha and Brownell also say that Season 4 will dive much more into the Regency era’s upstairs-downstairs class politics than previous seasons, due to Sophie being of a lower class than Benedict and the Bridgerton family, as well as the fairytale and forbidden love tropes.
    — Jennifer Maas, Variety, 14 Feb. 2025
Definition of forbidden
Verb
  • The Phoenix Suns have officially been eliminated from playoff contention with their 125-112 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night.
    — Doug Haller, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2025
  • Its usefulness as a means of water transportation, however, was virtually eliminated when a wider and deeper channel — the Sanitary and Ship Canal — was completed alongside the I&M Canal in 1900.
    — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 10 Apr. 2025
Definition of eliminated
Verb
  • However, strict safety restrictions prevented workers from accessing the area to turn it back on, delaying essential waste shipment and decommissioning operations.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 9 Apr. 2025
  • While a large group was prevented from entering this week by the NYPD and MTAPD, some entered the concourse, where after breaking Terminal rules they were ordered to depart or face arrest, and most were successfully removed without incident.
    — Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Definition of prevented

Browse Nearby Words

barrancas
barred
barrel
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Barred.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barred. Accessed 17 Apr. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on barred

Nglish: Translation of barred for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Words You Always Have to Look Up

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)
See More

Popular

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

8 Words with Fascinating Histories
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a game of hangman on lined paper
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All