barrier
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A structure that bars passage.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
bareeerSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈbæɹiɚ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A structure that bars passage.
An obstacle or impediment.
A boundary or limit.
verb
transitive
To block or obstruct with a barrier.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- General English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A structure that bars passage.
Used this way, barrier is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use barrier
- “Intolerance is a barrier to understanding.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A junction unit for connecting 2 cables without the need for plugs.
A long coral reef near and parallel to the shore.
A long narrow sandy island (wider than a reef) running parallel to the shore.
A mechanism that creates a barrier between brain tissues and circulating blood.
The barrier preventing Blacks from participating in various activities with whites.
A strong protective barrier that is erected around a racetrack or in the middle of a dual-lane highway in order to reduce the likelihood of severe accidents.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
A barrier set up by police to stop traffic on a street or road in order to catch a fugitive or inspect traffic etc.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.