bar‧ri‧er W3 / bæriə $ -ər / 名词 [可数名词]
1 a rule, problem etc that prevents people from doing something, or limits what they can do :
He advocated the removal of trade barriers.
barrier to
Problems with childcare remain the biggest barrier to women succeeding at work.
barrier between
barriers between doctors and patients
2 a type of fence or gate that prevents people from moving in a particular direction :
Crowds burst through the barriers and ran onto the pitch.
3 a physical object that keeps two areas, people etc apart
barrier between
The mountains form a natural barrier between the two countries.
4 the 10-second/40% etc barrier a level or amount of 10 seconds, 40% etc that is seen as a limit which it is difficult to get beyond :
I’m hoping to crash the 20-second barrier in the final and get a bronze.
→ sound barrier , crash barrier
COLLOCATIONS
ADJECTIVES/NOUN + barrier
trade barriers (= things such as taxes that make trade between countries difficult ) The aim was to remove trade barriers and open up free markets.
the language barrier (= the problem of understanding people who do not speak the same language. ) Living in China was hard for me at first because of the language barrier.
cultural/racial/class barriers Sport is a sure way to break down racial barriers.
social barriers The Internet allows people of all ages to interact without the usual social barriers.
technical/legal/political barriers Most of the technical barriers have been solved.
artificial barriers They were committed to breaking down the artificial barriers to women’s achievement.
regulatory barriers Regulatory barriers have been an obstacle to international co-operation between police forces.
bureaucratic barriers This is one of many bureacratic barriers preventing the unemployed from claiming benefit.
institutional/organizational barriers Institutional barriers limit what can be achieved.
动词
break/tear down barriers Most companies have broken down the old barriers of status among the workers.
cross/transcend barriers (= avoid barriers that usually exist ) Music has the great advantage of crossing cultural barriers.
remove/eliminate/lift barriers Will this remove the barriers to change?
overcome barriers There are still many more barriers that need to be overcome.
reduce/lower barriers We should be reducing barriers to imports from poor countries.
erect/build/put up barriers Some kids have erected emotional barriers that stop them from learning.
create barriers Uniforms are one of the things that create barriers.
THESAURUS
wall an upright flat structure made of stone or brick, that divides one area from another or surrounds an area : The estate is surrounded by high stone walls. | a brick wall
fence a structure made of wood, metal etc that surrounds a piece of land : The garden was surrounded by an old wooden fence. | the chain link fence around the school
railings a metal fence that is made of a series of upright bars : the iron railings in front of the house | The boy was leaning over the railing on the side of the boat.
barrier a type of fence or gate that prevents people from moving in a particular direction : A guard stood near the barrier. | The police had put up barriers to keep the crowd under control.
screen a piece of furniture like a thin wall that can be moved around and is used to divide one part of a room from another : the screen around his hospital bed | a Japanese bamboo screen | a fire screen (= that you put near a fire )
partition a thin wall that separates one part of a room from another : The room was divided into two by a thin partition. | The offices are separated by partitions and you can hear everything that is said in the next office.
barricade a line of objects that people have put across a road, to prevent people getting past, especially as part of a protest : The soldiers used tanks to smash through the barricades.