verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Verb

1. 1
   To enclose (as though behind bars); to imprison. archaic, transitive
2. 2
   To prohibit, debar (someone from doing something). obsolete, transitive

Etymology

From Middle French embarrer, from barre (“bar”).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.