behind bars

bar

B b

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [bahr]
- /bɪˈhaɪnd bɑːr/
- /bɪˈhaɪnd bɑːr/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [bahr]
- /bɪˈhaɪnd bɑːr/

Definitions of behind bars words

phrase behind bars If you say that someone is behind bars, you mean that they are in prison. 3
noun behind bars a relatively long, evenly shaped piece of some solid substance, as metal or wood, used as a guard or obstruction or for some mechanical purpose: the bars of a cage. 1
noun behind bars an oblong piece of any solid material: a bar of soap; a candy bar. 1
noun behind bars the amount of material in a bar. 1
noun behind bars an ingot, lump, or wedge of gold or silver. 1
noun behind bars a long ridge of sand, gravel, or other material near or slightly above the surface of the water at or near the mouth of a river or harbor entrance, often constituting an obstruction to navigation. 1

See all 39 definitions of behind bars

Information block about the term

Origin of behind bars

First appearance:

before 1175

One of the 8% oldest English words

1175-1225; Middle English barre < Old French < Vulgar Latin *barra rod, of obscure, perhaps of pre-Latin orig.

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Behind bars

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Behind bars

behind bars popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 99% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

behind bars usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for behind bars

verb behind bars

confined — If something is confined to a particular place, it exists only in that place. If it is confined to a particular group, only members of that group have it.
imprisoned — to confine in or as if in a prison.
put away — to move or place (anything) so as to get it into or out of a specific location or position: to put a book on the shelf.
incarcerated — to imprison; confine.
under lock and key — a device for securing a door, gate, lid, drawer, or the like in position when closed, consisting of a bolt or system of bolts propelled and withdrawn by a mechanism operated by a key, dial, etc.

All 5 Synonyms of behind bars