barrier

B2 Topic:General Vocabulary

US /ˈbæɹi.ɚ/ UK /ˈbæɹi.ə(ɹ)/ See IPA manual

Freq #6833

Meanings

1

noun
Something that stops you from making progress or reaching a goal.

For many students, the cost of university is a major barrier.
2

noun
A structure that blocks the way or stops people passing.

Police put up barriers to hold back the crowd.
3

noun
A limit that is hard to go beyond.

Few runners can break the two-hour marathon barrier.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · something that stops you... obstacle roadblock

2 noun · a structure that blocks the... fence wall

3 noun · a limit that is hard to go... limit boundary

Word family

Forms barriers

Derived forms allobarrierbarrierlessbarrierlikebarristorbiobarriercyberbarrierdiffusion-barrierhalf-barrierimmunobarriermetabarriermultibarriernanobarrier

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

ideological barrier
an obstacle to cooperation caused by conflicting systems of belief

Adjective + noun

Simplified etymology

Barrier entered English in the late Middle Ages and is related to bar, whose earliest recorded use was for a fastening on a gate or door and which was also used for various kinds of physical obstruction.

Etymology

From Middle English barryer, barrere, barryȝer, from Old French barriere (compare French barrière), from Old French barre (“bar”).

barryer Middle English barriere Old French barre Old French

View etymology graph ->

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# barrier

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈbæɹi.ɚ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈbæɹi.ə(ɹ)/
**Frequency rank:** 6833

## Meanings
1. Something that stops you from making progress or reaching a goal.
2. A structure that blocks the way or stops people passing.
3. A limit that is hard to go beyond.

## Examples
- For many students, the cost of university is a major barrier.
- Police put up barriers to hold back the crowd.
- Few runners can break the two-hour marathon barrier.

## Derived Forms
- allobarrier
- barrierless
- barrierlike
- barristor
- biobarrier
- cyberbarrier
- diffusion-barrier
- half-barrier
- immunobarrier
- metabarrier
- multibarrier
- nanobarrier

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: barryer
- Root: barriere
- Root: barre

## Etymology
From Middle English barryer, barrere, barryȝer, from Old French barriere (compare French barrière), from Old French barre (“bar”).

## AI Etymology
Barrier comes from Middle English barryer, barrere, barryȝer, from Old French barriere (compare French barrière), from Old French barre (“bar”).

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

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