unbar

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English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English unbarren, equivalent to un- +‎ bar.

Verb[edit]

unbar (third-person singular simple present unbars, present participle unbarring, simple past and past participle unbarred)

  1. (transitive) To unlock or unbolt a door that had been locked or bolted with a bar.
    • 1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019:
      Only Enid could dare him at such a time, and even she felt occasionally that sinking of the heart which the bravest of tamers may experience as he unbars the gate of the cage.
  2. (transitive) To remove an impediment that obstructs the passage of (someone or something).
  3. (transitive) To remove a prohibition.

Anagrams[edit]