bar line

noun

, Music.

1. bar ¹( def 16a ).

bar line

noun

1. music the vertical line marking the boundary between one bar and the next

Word History and Origins

Origin of bar line¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Vertical bar lines divide the staff into short sections called measures or bars.

From Literature

Instrumental lines snake over bar lines, intersecting in convoluted ways.

From Los Angeles Times

As in “Mass,” Bernstein changes idioms by the minute and rhythms, to Broadway’s dismay, by the bar line.

From Los Angeles Times

For hundreds of years, Western composers have used bar lines to subdivide a piece of music.

From New York Times

A wood bar lines the perimeter, offering socialization for you as well.

From Seattle Times