barrier

American  

[bar-ee-er] / ˈbær i ər /

noun

1. anything built or serving to bar passage, as a railing, fence, or the like.

   People may pass through the barrier only when their train is announced.

   Synonyms:

   impediment, hindrance, obstruction, wall, palisade

2. any natural bar or obstacle.

   a mountain barrier.

   Synonyms:

   impediment, hindrance, obstruction

3. anything that restrains or obstructs progress, access, etc..

   a trade barrier.

   Synonyms:

   impediment, hindrance, obstruction

4. a limit or boundary of any kind.

   the barriers of caste.

5. Physical Geography. an Antarctic ice shelf or ice front.

6. barrier beach.

7. History/Historical. barriers, the palisade or railing surrounding the ground where tourneys and jousts were carried on.

8. Archaic. a fortress or stockade.

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barrier British  

/ ˈbærɪə /

noun

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. 1. an exposed offshore sand bar separated from the shore by a lagoon

   2. ( as modifier )

      a barrier beach

5. (sometimes capital) that part of the Antarctic icecap extending over the sea

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Synonym Usage

See bar ¹.

Etymology

Origin of barrier

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Middle French barriere ( barre bar ¹ + -iere, from Latin -āria -ary ); replacing Middle English barrere, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin barrera

Explanation

Barriers are walls, either physical or metaphorical. They can block movement — the Great Wall of China was a barrier to block invading forces from entering. A window shade is a light barrier. Failing English is a barrier to getting into Harvard. When people are being excluded from joining a clique, you could say that the clique has erected a social barrier. When fighter jets fly faster than the speed of sound, they break through what feels like a wall in the sky called the sound barrier. The Green Monster at Fenway Park keeps Boston Red Sox fans from being able to watch games from outside the stadium — it's a barrier to sight. But when line drives hit the Green Monster, bouncing the ball back into left field, the Green Monster acts also a barrier to easy home runs.

Example Sentences

And while Mayo appreciates the barrier breaking, for the three women it’s just another day at the office.

From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2026

The range is a "physical barrier for dust storms and heat waves" from the western Thar desert, said ecologist C.R.

From Barron's • May 31, 2026

The barrier to connecting was thinking that others didn’t want to talk.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026

Berger told Belgian TV that the minibus driver had been driving on a street parallel the railway and then turned left onto the level crossing while the barrier was already down.

From BBC • May 26, 2026

The squatters considered the Muscogee Nation to be the main barrier to their permanent settlement in the region, particularly Georgia.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Related Words

• barricade
• blockade
• boundary
• fence
• hurdle
• impediment
• limit
• obstacle
• railing
• roadblock
• wall