barrier

Meanings

Plural: barriers

Noun

• a structure or object that impedes free movement
• any condition that makes it difficult to make progress or to achieve an objective
  • "intolerance is a barrier to understanding"
• anything serving to maintain separation by obstructing vision or access
• A structure that bars passage.
• An obstacle or impediment.
• A boundary or limit.
• A node (in government and binding theory) said to intervene between other nodes A and B if it is a potential governor for B, c-commands B, and does not c-command A.
• A separation between two areas of the body where specialized cells allow the entry of certain substances but prevent the entry of others.
• The lists in a tournament.
• A martial exercise of the 15th and 16th centuries.

Verb

• To block or obstruct with a barrier.

Synonyms

bar, roadblock