| Text |
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary bar·ri·er \\ˈber-ē-ər, ˈba-rē-\\ noun ETYMOLOGY Middle English barrere, from Anglo-French, from barre bar
DATE 14th century
1. a. something material that blocks or is intended to block passage highway barriers a barrier contraceptive b. a natural formation or structure that prevents or hinders movement or action geographic barriers to species dissemination barrier beaches drugs that cross the placental barrier2. plural, often capitalized : a medieval war game in which combatants fight on foot with a fence or railing between them 3. something immaterial that impedes or separates : obstacle behavioral barriers trade barriers
barrier early 14 c., from O.Fr
http://O.Fr . barriere "obstacle, gatekeeper," from barre "bar" (see bar (1)). First record of barrier reef is from 1805.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English Oxford Collocations dictionary for students of Englishbarrier
noun 1 fence/gate ADJ. physical | crash, crush, flood, police, protective, security, ticket | sound (figurative) the first plane to break the sound barrier VERB + BARRIER build, erect, install | break through The crowd managed to break through the barriers and get onto the pitch. PREP. at a/the ~ Please show your ticket at the barrier. | behind a/the ~ The police waited behind the barriers. | through a/the ~ There was a slow trickle of people through the barriers. 2 thing that causes problems ADJ. effective, formidable, major | class, cultural, language, racial, trade VERB + BARRIER build, create, erect, put up, set up The old laws created barriers to free trade. | break down, lift, lower, reduce, remove | cross They believe that sport can cross any barriers. | be faced with, encounter, face | overcome, transcend PREP. ~ against The country has set up barriers against imports. | ~ between a class barrier between the two families | ~ to a formidable barrier to communication 3 physical object that prevents sb/sth passing ADJ. impassable, impenetrable | natural VERB + BARRIER form PREP. ~ between The mountains form a natural barrier between the two countries. Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary-牛津双解-OALD7 ☞ barrierbar·rier / 5bAriE(r) / noun1. an object like a fence that prevents people from moving forward from one place to another 屏障；障碍物: The crowd had to stand behind barriers. 人群只好站在障碍物后面。 Show your ticket at the barrier. 请在验票处出示车票。 ⇨ see also crash barrier 2. ~ (to sth) a problem, rule or situation that prevents sb from doing sth, or that makes sth impossible 障碍；阻力；关卡: the removal of trade barriers 贸易壁垒的消除 Lack of confidence is a psychological barrier to success. 缺乏信心是阻碍成功的心理因素。 3. ~ (between A and B) | ~ (against sth) something that exists between one thing or person and another and keeps them separate 分界线；隔阂；障碍: The Yangtze river is a natural barrier to the north-east. 长江是东北面的一道天然屏障。 There was no real barrier between reality and fantasy in his mind. 在他的头脑中,现实与幻想之间没有真正的界线。 Ozone is the earth's barrier against ultra-violet radiation. 臭氧是地球防止紫外线辐射的屏障。 the language barrier (= when people cannot communicate because they do not speak the same language) 语言隔阂(因语言不通而无法交流) 4. a particular amount, level or number which it is difficult to get past 难以逾越的数量(或水平、数目)；关口: the first player whose earnings passed the $10 million barrier 第一位收入超过 1 000 万元大关的运动员
barrier noun
⇨ barrier (Show your ticket at the barrier.) ⇨ obstacle (a psychological barrier to success) Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged Search result show the entry is found in: placental barrier , or potential barrier , or barrier berg , or barrier cell , or barrier chain , or barrier cream , or barrier ice , or barrier island , or barrier layer , or barrier line , or barrier reef , or barrier spit , or sonic barrier , or sound barrier , or thermal barrier , or vapor barrier , or blood-brain barrier , or schottky barrier , or barrier bar , or barrier beach , or bay head barrier , or gamow barrier , or heat barrier , or ice barrier
bar·ri·erI. \ˈbarēə(r) also ˈber-\ noun( -s) Etymology: Middle English barrere, from Middle French barriere, from barre bar 1. obsolete : barricade ; especially : an outer defense to impede or stop an enemy 2. : a material object or set of objects that separates, keeps apart, demarcates, or serves as a unit or barricade: as a. : the palisades that enclosed the lists in medieval tournaments — usually used in plural b. (1) or barrier beach also barrier bar : a long narrow sandy island lying parallel to a shore and built up by the action of waves, currents, and wind — called also offshore bar; see barrier island (2) sometimes capitalized : an extension of the antarctic continental ice sheet into the sea resting partly on the bottom c. : the gate where customs duties are collected at the boundaries of some European countries d. : a railing or other separation between the station building and train platforms in some European countries with openings to permit the passage of arriving and departing passengers e. (1) : potential barrier (2) : a movable net or structure serving in an emergency to halt a landing airplane eps. on an aircraft carrier when the tail hook has failed to engage the arresting gear f. : a porous partition (as a thin sheet of silver-zinc alloy from which the zinc has been dissolved out) used in atmolysis g. in packaging : a flexible material that can be formed into a container preventing or limiting the entrance of moisture, retaining flavors or oils, and otherwise protecting its contents h. : a solid usually white or yellow warning line painted between traffic lanes of a highway 3. barriers plural, often capitalized : a medieval war game in which combatants fought on foot with a fence or railing between them — often used in the phrase at barriers4. a. : the starting point in an ancient racecourse b. : the movable gate or device at the starting line in a modern racetrack which is opened to signal the start of a race 5. : something intangible or immaterial that acts as a barrier (as by impeding or separating) < psychological and social barriers to increased agricultural production — G.P.Wibberley > < the barrier between the craft and scholarly traditions — S.F.Mason >6. : a factor (as a topographic feature or a physical or physiological quality) that tends to restrict the free movement and mingling of individuals or populations — compare isolating mechanism II. transitive verb( -ed/-ing/-s) : to obstruct or confine by a barrier
|