bar out
B2 neutral separable transitive
In simple words
To stop someone from being allowed to come in somewhere.
Literal meaning: To bar someone from the outside — to prevent their entry using a bar.
Meanings
1 B2 neutral
To prevent someone from entering a building or area.
"Security barred him out of the venue after he refused to show his ID."
Grammar: separable
2 C1
idiomatic
neutral
(Historical, British school tradition) For pupils to lock or bar the classroom door to prevent the teacher from entering, usually as a seasonal prank.
"On the last day of term, the boys barred out the headmaster as they had done every year."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
Less common than 'lock out' or 'shut out'. Can also refer to the practice in some schools where children historically 'barred out' teachers from the classroom as a form of protest or tradition.
Commonly used with
pupils students teacher members public access
Forms
Base
bar out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
bars out
he/she/it
Past simple
bared out
yesterday
Past participle
bared out
have + pp
-ing form
baring out
continuous
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