debar

D2E1B3A1R1
UK/dɪˈbɑː(ɹ)/

verb

To exclude or shut out; to bar.

UncommonScrabble 8

Meanings

debar1

verbdebar (third-person singular simple present debars, present participle debarring, simple past and past participle debarred)

present singular third person debars · participle present debarring · participle past debarred · past debarred

  1. transitiveTo exclude or shut out; to bar.

    The Minister of Transport has debarred BR workshops from seeking orders for private owners' wagons like this [...].

    1964 May, “News and Comment”, in Modern Railways, page 291, photo caption
    1 more example

    As for the guides, they were debarred from the pleasure of discourse, the one being placed in the van, and the other obliged to bring up the rear.

    1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC

    Synonyms: preclude

  2. transitiveTo hinder or prevent.

    How can I then return in happy plight, That am debarr'd the benefit of rest?

    1609, William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 28”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. […], London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by William Aspley, →OCLC
    2 more examples

    She had also been so long debarred from any interchange of feelings and sentiments—so surrounded by strangers, that it was a true enjoyment to meet with one, who, if she did not enter into many of the emotions connected with it, was yet able and ready to talk of the past.

    1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XXVI, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 218

    "Circumstances have arisen—circumstances beyond my control," he said and paused, "which will debar me from completing the course I had designed. It would seem, gentlemen, if I may put the thing clearly and briefly, that—Man has lived in vain."

    1897, H. G. Wells, The Star (Science Fiction)
  3. UStransitivelawTo prohibit (a person or company that has been convicted of criminal acts in connection with a government program) from future participation in that program.

Debar2

proper noun
  1. A city in western North Macedonia.

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo exclude or shut out; to bar.

Similar

More synonyms by meaning

verbbar temporarily; from school, office, etc.

Similar

verbprevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening; to protect from or to keep away anything undesirable; to ward off

verbprevent from entering; keep out

Similar

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Anglo-Normandebarrer
  2. Englishdebar

From Anglo-Norman debarrer.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian възпирам, препятствам
  • възпирам (văzpiram)To exclude or shut out; to bar
  • препятствам (prepjatstvam)To exclude or shut out; to bar
  • Дебър (Debăr)a city in western North Macedonia
Czech vyloučit, vykázat
  • vyloučitTo exclude or shut out; to bar
  • vykázatTo exclude or shut out; to bar
  • zakázat účastTo exclude or shut out; to bar
German ausschließen
  • ausschließenTo exclude or shut out; to bar
Greek Δίβρη
  • Δίβρη (Dívri)a city in western North Macedonia
Polish Debar
  • Debara city in western North Macedonia
Portuguese barrar, excluir
  • barrarTo exclude or shut out; to bar
  • excluirTo exclude or shut out; to bar
Russian Де́бар
  • Де́бар (Débar)a city in western North Macedonia
Turkish engel olmak, menetmek
  • engel olmakTo exclude or shut out; to bar
  • menetmekTo exclude or shut out; to bar
  • yasaklamakTo exclude or shut out; to bar
Ukrainian Деба́р
  • Деба́р (Debár)a city in western North Macedonia

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

debar. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/debar

MLA

“debar.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/debar. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “debar,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/debar.

Source: debar on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.