Language Research

bar · noun C

/bɑːr/Full view

bar (DRINKING PLACE)

A1 a place where especially alcoholic drinks are sold and drunk, or the area in such a place where the person serving the drinks stands

Dictionary examples:

I met him in a bar in Budapest.

There weren't any free tables, so I sat at the bar.

Why don't you ask the guy behind the bar?

Learner example:

Every day she works in the hotel and [a] bar. (Skills for Life (Entry 1); A1; Polish)

bar (BLOCK)

B1 a substance that has been made into a solid, rectangular shape

Dictionary examples:

a bar of soap

a chocolate bar

Learner example:

I think I've got the right present for your cousins. What do you think about a bar of chocolate from Switzerland? (First Certificate in English; B2; Swiss German)

bar (LONG PIECE)

B2 a straight stick made of metal

Dictionary example:

The gorilla rattled the bars of its cage.

Learner example:

When they looked into the lake, they saw a long bar of gold. (First Certificate in English; B2; Korean)

behind bars

B2 in prison

Dictionary example:

He will spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Learner example:

In the darkness, Lew Kuan Yee had sworn revenge against Michael, the detective who had sent him behind bars. (First Certificate in English; B2; Chinese)

bar (PREVENTING SUCCESS)

C2 something that prevents you doing something or having something

Dictionary example:

Lack of money should not be a bar to a good education.

Learner example:

Nevertheless, fashion could be felt as a bar to our own liberty since the maga[z]ines impose their views on the customers. (Certificate of Proficiency in English; C2; French)