WordGarden.iounbar
A2Pronunciation
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Meanings
Verb
to open a door, gate, or similar thing by removing or lifting a bar or fastening
Beyond the definition
To unbar something is to remove the bar that keeps a door, gate, or window shut, so it can open. Picture someone lifting a heavy wooden bar from a gate before dawn so people can pass through. The word is most often used for this kind of physical action.
It can also be used in a figurative way to describe removing something that blocks progress or keeps feelings closed in. For example, a new agreement might unbar the way to peace, or an honest talk might help someone unbar their feelings. Even then, the idea is still the same: something that was shut off is now opened.
The word "unbar" means to remove a bar that is fastened across a door, gate, or window so that it can be opened. A bar is usually a piece of wood or metal placed across an entrance for safety or security. If a guard unbars a gate, he takes away that crosspiece and allows people to enter or leave.
The word often appears in stories, older writing, and dramatic scenes because it carries a strong sense of something closed being opened at last. You might read about someone unbarring a castle door, a prison cell, or a town gate at sunrise. In these cases, the meaning is literal and clear: a real barrier is removed.
"Unbar" can also be used figuratively, though this is less common than the physical sense. In that use, it means to remove an obstacle or to open the way for something. A court decision might unbar access to land, or a moment of trust might unbar feelings that were kept hidden. The figurative use still keeps the same basic image of taking away what kept something shut.
Overall, "unbar" is a vivid verb for opening by removing a restraining bar. It suggests not just opening in a general sense, but opening after a clear barrier has been taken away.
Examples
- 1
Door
She unbarred the door and let the children inside.
- Usage
often used about doors or gates, especially in historical or literary contexts
- 2
Guarded gate
No one could enter the courtyard until the guard unbarred the gate.
- 3
Monastery gates
At dawn, the monastery gates were unbarred for the first visitors.
See also
Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- unbarverb
Forms
- unbarredpast tenseverb
- unbarring-ing formverb
- unbarsverb