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crowbar

American  
[kroh-bahr] / ˈkroʊˌbɑr /

noun

  1. Also called crow.  a steel bar, usually flattened and slightly bent at one or both ends, used as a lever.

verb (used with object)

crowbarred, crowbarring

  1. to pry open, loosen, etc., with a crowbar.

    We had to crowbar a window to get in.
crowbar British  
/ ˈkrəʊˌbɑː /

noun

  1. a heavy iron lever with one pointed end, and one forged into a wedge shape

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of crowbar

1740–50, crow 1 + bar 1; so called because one end was beak-shaped

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Armed with nothing but a crowbar and shovel in the hills of Somaliland, Ahmed Ibrahim hacks away at rocks where he and fellow miners have already found tonnes of lithium.

From Barron's • Feb. 25, 2026

If our hearts weren’t already open, they’ve just been forced ajar with a rusty, emotional crowbar.

From Salon • Nov. 30, 2025

Marks that look like they were made with a screwdriver or crowbar were left behind.

From BBC • Jan. 1, 2025

“He wants to put a crowbar in the spokes of our wheels within a nanosecond,” Newsom said.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 6, 2024

Peter’s a sweetheart, but I’ve slammed the door to my inner self; if he ever wants to force the lock again, he’ll have to use a harder crowbar!

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.