bollards

Meanings

1. 1nounplural

   Short, sturdy posts set in the ground to stop vehicles entering an area or to guide traffic.

   Grammar: The plural form: the bollards protect the square.

   Patterns

   • bollards around something
   • bollards along something

   Concrete bollards stop cars from driving into the pedestrian zone.

   Metal bollards line the edge of the sidewalk.

   The council installed bollards outside the school gates.

2. 2nounpluraltechnical

   Thick posts on a quay or ship used for tying up ropes to hold a boat in place.

   Grammar: Nautical use: the ropes were tied to bollards.

   Patterns

   • tie something to the bollards

   The crew looped the rope around the bollards on the dock.

   The ferry was tied to two large bollards.

   Heavy iron bollards stood along the harbor.

Word forms

Common combinations

concrete bollards

Concrete bollards guard the market square.

retractable bollards

Retractable bollards rise up to block traffic.

install bollards

The town will install bollards on the high street.

a row of bollards

A row of bollards lined the pavement.

mooring bollards

The boat was tied to mooring bollards.

Synonyms and how they differ

posts

Posts is a general word for upright poles, while bollards are short, strong and set to block or guide traffic.

barriers

Barriers can be long walls or gates, but bollards are separate upright posts.

stanchions

Stanchions are upright supports, often with ropes, used for crowd control rather than stopping cars.

cleats

Cleats are the small fittings on a boat or dock for rope, and are smaller than bollards.

Word family

bollard noun

the singular form

barrier noun

something that blocks the way

mooring noun

the place where a boat is tied

Commonly confused: bollards or bullards?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “bollards”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words