Meaning & use
barred gate
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Meanings
nouncountable
A gate built with parallel metal or wooden bars, often used to close off an entrance or driveway.
Grammar: Countable: one barred gate, two barred gates.
Patterns
- a barred gate to something
- close a barred gate
- a heavy barred gate
The old prison had a tall barred gate that creaked when it opened.
We walked up to the barred gate and peered through the iron bars at the garden.
A barred gate blocked the entrance to the private courtyard.
nouncountablefigurative
A gateway or entrance that has been closed or blocked by a barrier, especially for security.
Grammar: Often used figuratively for any closed-off access point.
Patterns
- a barred gate to success
- keep the barred gate closed
After the scandal, the barred gate to public office seemed permanently shut for him.
The company treated the exam as a barred gate that only the best candidates could pass.
Word forms
| plural | barred gates |
|---|
Common combinations
- a barred gate
- They installed a barred gate at the end of the lane.
- an iron barred gate
- An iron barred gate protected the cellar steps.
- behind a barred gate
- The dog barked behind a barred gate.
- open a barred gate
- He struggled to open the rusted barred gate.
Synonyms and how they differ
- grille
- A grille is a decorative metal screen, often in a window or door, rather than a full gate.
- portcullis
- A portcullis is a heavy castle gate that slides down, much larger and more historical than a barred gate.
Word family
Commonly confused: barred gate or bar gate?
barred gate vs bar gate
A bar gate is a gate made of a single horizontal bar, while a barred gate has multiple parallel bars.
Practice
The castle entrance was protected by a heavy ______ that could be lowered in an attack.
Choose one answer.
A portcullis is a castle gate that slides down vertically, which fits 'lowered in an attack'. A barred gate is a general gate with bars and would not normally be described as lowered.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “barred gate”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.