Meaning & use
barrier
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Meanings
nouncountable
A fence, wall or other object that stops people or things from passing.
Grammar: Countable physical object: a barrier across the road.
Patterns
- a barrier between something and something
- a barrier across something
Police put up a barrier to keep the crowd off the road.
The concrete barrier saved the car from the river.
A low barrier separates the track from the seats.
nouncountablefigurative
Something that makes it difficult or impossible to achieve, communicate or succeed.
Grammar: Followed by to: a barrier to progress.
Patterns
- a barrier to something
- break down barriers
Language is often a barrier to making new friends abroad.
High prices are a barrier to many young buyers.
Her shyness was a barrier she gradually overcame.
nouncountable
A fixed limit or level that is hard to pass, such as a speed or record.
Grammar: Often used with break: break the sound barrier.
Patterns
- break the barrier of something
The plane broke the sound barrier in 1947.
She was the first runner to break the four-minute barrier.
The company finally passed the million-customer barrier.
Word forms
| plural | barriers |
|---|
Common combinations
- language barrier
- The language barrier made ordering food difficult.
- break down barriers
- The program helps break down barriers between neighbors.
- barrier to entry
- The cost is a barrier to entry for small firms.
- safety barrier
- A safety barrier lined the cliff path.
- overcome a barrier
- He overcame the barrier of fear.
- cross the barrier
- No one dared to cross the barrier.
Synonyms and how they differ
- obstacle
- Obstacle is anything in the way that you must get around, while a barrier is usually something that blocks you completely.
- fence
- Fence is a specific type of physical barrier made of posts and wire or wood.
- hurdle
- Hurdle suggests a challenge that can be jumped over with effort, which is milder than barrier.
- obstruction
- Obstruction is more formal and often describes something that blocks a path or a process, sometimes illegally.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: barrier or barter?
barrier vs barter
Barter means to exchange goods without using money, and it only sounds a little like barrier.
Practice
For many immigrants, learning the language is the biggest ______ to finding a good job.
Choose one answer.
A barrier to something means a difficulty that blocks progress, and the pattern needs to. A bridge would be the opposite idea, something that helps people cross.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “barrier”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.