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bar·ri·er

 (băr′ē-ər)
n.
1. A material formation or structure, such as a mountain range or wall, that prevents passage or access.
2. Something immaterial that obstructs or impedes: Lack of education can be a barrier to success.
3. Physiology A membrane, tissue, or mechanism that blocks the passage of certain substances.
4. Ecology A physical or biological factor that limits the migration, interbreeding, or free movement of individuals or populations.
5. A movable gate that keeps racehorses in line before the start of a race.
6. often barriers The palisades or fences enclosing the lists of a medieval tournament.
7. Geology An ice barrier.

[Middle English barrer, from Old French barriere, from Vulgar Latin *barrāria, from *barra, bar.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

barrier

(ˈbærɪə)
n
1. anything serving to obstruct passage or to maintain separation, such as a fence or gate
2. anything that prevents or obstructs passage, access, or progress: a barrier of distrust.
3. anything that separates or hinders union: a language barrier.
4. (Physical Geography)
a. an exposed offshore sand bar separated from the shore by a lagoon
b. (as modifier): a barrier beach.
5. (Physical Geography) (sometimes capital) that part of the Antarctic icecap extending over the sea
[C14: from Old French barriere, from barre bar1]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

bar•ri•er

(ˈbær i ər)

n.
1. anything built or serving to bar passage, as a railing, fence, or the like.
2. any natural bar or obstacle: a mountain barrier.
3. anything that obstructs progress, access, etc.: trade barriers.
4. a limit or boundary of any kind: the barriers of caste.
5. an antarctic ice shelf or its front.
6. barriers, the palisade or railing surrounding the ground where medieval tournaments and jousts were held.
[1275–1325; Middle English < Middle French barriere <barre bar1]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

barrier

A coordinated series of obstacles designed or employed to channel, direct, restrict, delay, or stop the movement of an opposing force and to impose additional losses in personnel, time, and equipment on the opposing force. Barriers can exist naturally, be manmade, or a combination of both.
Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. US Department of Defense 2005.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.barrier - a structure or object that impedes free movementbarrier - a structure or object that impedes free movement
balusters, balustrade, banister, handrail, bannister - a railing at the side of a staircase or balcony to prevent people from falling
barricade - a barrier (usually thrown up hastily) to impede the advance of an enemy; "they stormed the barricade"
breakwater, groyne, jetty, seawall, bulwark, groin, mole - a protective structure of stone or concrete; extends from shore into the water to prevent a beach from washing away
bulwark - a fencelike structure around a deck (usually plural)
crash barrier - 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
dam - a barrier constructed to contain the flow of water or to keep out the sea
fence, fencing - a barrier that serves to enclose an area
fender, wing - a barrier that surrounds the wheels of a vehicle to block splashing water or mud; "in Britain they call a fender a wing"
grating, grate - a barrier that has parallel or crossed bars blocking a passage but admitting air
hurdle - a light movable barrier that competitors must leap over in certain races
movable barrier - a barrier that can be moved to allow passage
impedimenta, obstruction, obstructor, obstructer, impediment - any structure that makes progress difficult
rail, railing - a barrier consisting of a horizontal bar and supports
revetment - a barrier against explosives
barricade, roadblock - a barrier set up by police to stop traffic on a street or road in order to catch a fugitive or inspect traffic etc.
starting gate, starting stall - a movable barrier on the starting line of a race course
2.barrier - any condition that makes it difficult to make progress or to achieve an objectivebarrier - any condition that makes it difficult to make progress or to achieve an objective; "intolerance is a barrier to understanding"
obstacle, obstruction - something immaterial that stands in the way and must be circumvented or surmounted; "lack of imagination is an obstacle to one's advancement"; "the poverty of a district is an obstacle to good education"; "the filibuster was a major obstruction to the success of their plan"
ideological barrier - a barrier to cooperation or interaction resulting from conflicting ideologies
language barrier - barrier to communication resulting from speaking different languages
3.barrier - anything serving to maintain separation by obstructing vision or accessbarrier - anything serving to maintain separation by obstructing vision or access
bar - a submerged (or partly submerged) ridge in a river or along a shore; "the boat ran aground on a submerged bar in the river"
blood-brain barrier - a mechanism that creates a barrier between brain tissues and circulating blood; serves to protect the central nervous system; "the brain was protected from the large molecules of the virus by the blood-brain barrier"
curtain - any barrier to communication or vision; "a curtain of secrecy"; "a curtain of trees"
mechanism - a natural object resembling a machine in structure or function; "the mechanism of the ear"; "the mechanism of infection"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

barrier

noun
1. obstacle, bar, block, handicap, hurdle, limitation, hitch, drawback, snag, obstruction, stumbling block, impediment, hindrance Duties and taxes are the most obvious barriers to free trade.
2. barricade, wall, bar, block, railing, fence, pale, boundary, obstacle, ditch, blockade, obstruction, rampart, bulwark, palisade, stockade The demonstrators broke through the heavy police barriers.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

barrier

noun
1. A solid structure that encloses an area or separates one area from another:
2. Something that impedes or prevents entry or passage:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
حَاجِزحاجِزعائِق
bariérapřekážkazábranazávora
afspærringbarrierebarrikadehindring
este
prepreka
hindrun, fyrirstaîahindrun, tálmi
장벽
barjerakavēklisnožogojumsšķērslis
bariéra
pregradazapora
barriär
สิ่งกีดขวาง
chướng ngại

barrier

[ˈbærɪəʳ]
A. Nbarrera f, valla f (Rail) (in station) → barrera f; (= crash barrier) → valla f protectora (fig) → barrera f, obstáculo m (to para)
B. CPD barrier cream Ncrema f protectora
barrier method Nmétodo m (de) barrera
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

barrier

[ˈbæriər] n
(= wall) → barrière f
(= obstacle) a barrier to sth [+ progress, communication] → un obstacle à qch language barrier, trade barriers
(British) (on road) (also crash barrier) → glissière f de sécurité, rail m de sécurité
(at train station)portillon mbarrier cream n (British)crème f protectricebarrier method nméthode f de contraception locale
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

barrier

n
(natural) → Barriere f; (man-made, erected also) → Sperre f; (= railing etc)Schranke f; (= crash barrier)(Leit)planke f
(fig: = obstacle) → Hindernis nt, → Barriere f(to für); (of class, background, education, between people)Schranke f, → Barriere f; trade barriersHandelsschranken pl; barrier of language, language barrierSprachbarriere f; a barrier to success/progress etcein Hindernis für den Erfolg/Fortschritt etc; because of the barrier of her shynessaufgrund or auf Grund ihrer Schüchternheit, die ein Hemmnis ist/war etc; to put up/break down barriersZäune errichten/niederreißen

barrier

:
barrier contraceptive
barrier-free
barrier cream
nHaut(schutz)creme f
barrier reef
nBarriere-, Wallriff nt; the Great Barrier Reefdas Große Barriereriff
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

barrier

[ˈbærɪəʳ] nbarriera (Brit) (also crash barrier) → guardrail m inv (Rail) (in station) → cancello (fig) → barriera, ostacolo
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

barrier

(ˈbӕriə) noun
1. something put up as a defence or protection. a barrier between the playground and the busy road.
2. something that causes difficulty. His deafness was a barrier to promotion.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

barrier

حَاجِز bariéra barriere Schranke εμπόδιο barrera este barrière prepreka barriera 장벽 barrière barriere bariera barreira препятствие barriär สิ่งกีดขวาง bariyer chướng ngại 障碍
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

bar·ri·er

n. obstrucción, barrera.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

barrier

n barrera; placental — barrera placentaria
English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
References in classic literature ?
THE VIEW from the snowy peak of the Wind River Mountains, while it had excited Captain Bonneville's enthusiasm, had satisfied him that it would be useless to force a passage westward, through multiplying barriers of cliffs and precipices.
"What if some volcanic burst should one day raise these two barriers above the waves?"
I compare her to one of those raging rivers, which when in flood overflows the plains, sweeping away trees and buildings, bearing away the soil from place to place; everything flies before it, all yield to its violence, without being able in any way to withstand it; and yet, though its nature be such, it does not follow therefore that men, when the weather becomes fair, shall not make provision, both with defences and barriers, in such a manner that, rising again, the waters may pass away by canal, and their force be neither so unrestrained nor so dangerous.
Present distribution cannot be accounted for by differences in physical conditions -- Importance of barriers -- Affinity of the productions of the same continent -- Centres of creation -- Means of dispersal, by changes of climate and of the level of the land, and by occasional means -- Dispersal during the Glacial period co-extensive with the world.
"Why, just think for a moment; with this red handkerchief on my head, with scarcely any shoes, no papers, and ten gold napoleons in my pocket, without reckoning what was there before -- making in all about two hundred francs, -- why, I should certainly be arrested at the barriers. Then, to justify myself, I should say that you gave me the money; this would cause inquiries, it would be found that I left Toulon without giving due notice, and I should then be escorted back to the shores of the Mediterranean.
In vain did he try, in order to fix upon himself one of those looks, which were thrown carelessly around, or bestowed elsewhere, to produce in the animal he rode its greatest display of strength, speed, temper and address; in vain did he, by exciting his horse almost to madness, spur him, at the risk of dashing himself in pieces against the trees, or of rolling in the ditches, over the gates and barriers which they passed, or down the steep declivities of the hills.
* a fortification composed of palisades, called the barriers, which
Will it be sufficient to mark, with precision, the boundaries of these departments, in the constitution of the government, and to trust to these parchment barriers against the encroaching spirit of power?
When all was ready, the sabers stuck in the snow to mark the barriers, and the pistols loaded, Nesvitski went up to Pierre.
The distance from the barrier to the pole was no more than a swift flier should cover in a few hours, and so it was assumed that some frightful catastrophe awaited those who reached the "forbidden land," as it had come to be called by the Martians of the outer world.
With a large supply of oil from the wells they discovered in Caspak, with plenty of water and ample provisions, there is no reason why they couldn't have negotiated the submerged tunnel beneath the barrier cliffs and made good their escape."
Keeling Island -- Singular appearance -- Scanty Flora -- Transport of Seeds -- Birds and Insects -- Ebbing and flowing Springs -- Fields of dead Coral -- Stones transported in the roots of Trees -- Great Crab -- Stinging Corals -- Coral eating Fish -- Coral Formations -- Lagoon Islands, or Atolls -- Depth at which reef-building Corals can live -- Vast Areas interspersed with low Coral Islands -- Subsidence of their foundations -- Barrier Reefs -- Fringing Reefs -- Conversion of Fringing Reefs into Barrier Reefs, and into Atolls -- Evidence of changes in Level -- Breaches in Barrier Reefs -- Maldiva Atolls, their peculiar structure -- Dead and submerged Reefs -- Areas of subsidence and elevation -- Distribution of Volcanoes -- Subsidence slow, and vast in amount