barrier

barrier — noun

1. a physical thing such as a fence, wall, gate, or even a mountain or river that s

1.nounB2
Definition

a physical thing such as a fence, wall, gate, or even a mountain or river that stands in the way and stops people, cars, or animals from passing through.

Example

Police set up metal barriers along the parade route to keep the crowd off the road.

set up + barriers + along + place

Gita jumped the wooden barrier at the back of the field and ran toward the river.

Common collocations
  • metal barrier
  • wooden barrier
  • concrete barrier
  • crash barrier
  • police barrier
  • natural barrier
Synonyms
  • fence

    specifically made of posts and wire or wood; barrier is broader

  • barricade

    usually quickly built to block a road during protests or fighting

  • obstruction

    more formal; emphasises that something is in the way

Antonyms
  • opening

    a gap that lets people through

  • passage

    a way that allows movement

Grammar Patterns

put up a barrier

behind a barrier

Usage Note

Subject of 'put up' or 'set up' is usually police, workers, or organisers. The barrier here is a thing you can touch; the abstract sense is sense 3.

Common Mistakes

They built a barrier of fear around the village.
They built a wooden barrier around the village.
sense 1 is concrete; use sense 3 for abstract obstacles.

2. a movable gate at a station or car park, often controlled by a ticket or card, t

2.noun
Definition

a movable gate at a station or car park, often controlled by a ticket or card, that you walk or drive through when you enter or leave.

Example

Dimitri tapped his travel card on the reader and the barrier slid open.

tap card + barrier slid open

Show your ticket to the guard at the barrier before you go down to the platform.

at the barrier (location)

Common collocations
  • ticket barrier
  • car park barrier
  • automatic barrier
  • go through the barrier
Synonyms
  • gate

    broader; a barrier of this type is a controlled gate

  • turnstile

    specifically a rotating bar gate at stations or stadiums

Grammar Patterns

go through the barrier

at the barrier

Usage Note

Common in British contexts (railway / car park). Subject is usually the gate itself, or the traveller goes 'through' it.

3. a problem, rule, attitude, or condition that stops you doing what you want to do

3.nounB2
Definition

a problem, rule, attitude, or condition that stops you doing what you want to do, or makes a goal much harder to reach — for example a high price, a strict law, or a lack of training.

Example

High tuition fees are still a major barrier to going to university for many families.

barrier + to + -ing

Aunt Mei said her age was the biggest barrier when she tried to change careers.

Common collocations
  • major barrier
  • main barrier
  • remove a barrier
  • break down a barrier
  • overcome a barrier
  • barrier to entry
Synonyms
  • obstacle

    very close in meaning; obstacle suggests something to overcome step by step

  • hurdle

    informal; suggests a difficulty you can jump over with effort

  • hindrance

    formal; emphasises slowing you down rather than fully blocking

Antonyms
  • facilitator

    something that helps progress instead of blocking it

  • incentive

    something that pushes you towards a goal

Grammar Patterns

barrier to + noun/-ing

barrier against something

Usage Note

Almost always followed by 'to + noun/-ing' or 'against + noun'. Distinguish from sense 4: sense 3 is about progress towards a goal; sense 4 is about distance between people or groups.

Common Mistakes

Cost is a barrier for buy a house.
Cost is a barrier to buying a house.
use 'to' + -ing form, not 'for' + bare verb.

4. something invisible — like a different language, a class difference, or a strong

4.nounB2
Definition

something invisible — like a different language, a class difference, or a strong opinion — that keeps people apart or stops them from really understanding each other.

Example

The language barrier made it hard for Yuki to make friends in her first month in London.

language barrier

Class barriers between rich and poor families were very strong in the old town.

barrier between A and B

Common collocations
  • language barrier
  • cultural barrier
  • class barrier
  • racial barrier
  • break down the barrier
Synonyms
  • divide

    stresses the gap itself between two groups

  • gulf

    strong, formal; suggests a very wide separation

  • wall

    figurative; emphasises that the separation feels solid and hard to cross

Antonyms
  • bond

    a feeling that brings people together

  • bridge

    something that connects two sides

Grammar Patterns

barrier between A and B

language/cultural barrier

Usage Note

Often pre-modified by 'language', 'cultural', 'class', or 'emotional'. Distinguish from sense 3: this sense focuses on the gap between two parties, not on stopping a single person's progress.

5. a layer of material or tissue that keeps two areas apart, or that protects one a

5.noun
Definition

a layer of material or tissue that keeps two areas apart, or that protects one area from harmful things — for example a sun cream on the skin or the special cells around the brain.

Example

Sun cream forms a thin barrier on the skin against harmful UV rays.

barrier + against + noun

The blood-brain barrier protects the brain from many drugs and toxins.

fixed term: blood-brain barrier

Common collocations
  • protective barrier
  • blood-brain barrier
  • skin barrier
  • moisture barrier
  • barrier cream
Synonyms
  • layer

    neutral; barrier here adds the idea of protection or separation

  • shield

    stresses active protection from something harmful

  • membrane

    technical; a thin biological layer that separates

Grammar Patterns

barrier between A and B

barrier against something

Usage Note

Common in scientific and product writing. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 is something you can see clearly blocking passage; sense 5 is a thin protective layer that keeps substances apart.

barrier — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/3

All five words describe something that gets in the way of progress, but they differ in tone and image. 'Barrier' is the broadest and most neutral; it suggests something solid and often big — a system, a rule, or a price — that you have to remove or break down. 'Obstacle' is close in meaning but pictures a single object you have to get around or over, often one of several on a path. 'Hurdle' is more informal and hopeful: it sounds like something you can clear with effort, often used about exams, interviews, or stages of a project. 'Hindrance' is formal and weaker — it slows you down rather than stopping you. 'Impediment' is also formal, often used for personal or legal limits. So you might say 'high fees are a major barrier to study', 'the next obstacle is the visa interview', or 'jet lag was a small hurdle on the first day'.

barrier ↗obstacle ↗hurdlehindrance ↗impediment

Common collocations

Nouns

  • language barrier
  • trade barrier
  • barrier method
  • barrier reef
  • barrier cream
  • crash barrier
  • ticket barrier

Adverbs

Phrases

  • break down a barrier
  • remove a barrier
  • put up a barrier
  • overcome a barrier
  • barrier to entry

Prepositions

  • barrier to
  • barrier against
  • barrier between

Etymology

Late LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

'Barrier' came into English in the late 1300s from Old French 'barriere', meaning a fence, gate, or fortification. That French word is built on 'barre', a wooden bar used to close a door or fence — the same root that gives English 'bar' and 'barricade'. At first 'barrier' meant a real fence or gate, especially one used in defence or in tournaments. From the 1500s and 1600s on, English speakers began using it for any kind of separation, and by the 1800s for non-physical things too, such as a 'language barrier' or a 'barrier to trade'. The medical sense, as in 'blood-brain barrier' or 'barrier method', is a 20th-century extension of the same idea — something that keeps two areas apart.