Phrase guide

bar line

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A vertical line in musical notation used to separate two bars or measures.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Synonym of crossline (“type of headline”).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: journalism, media

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: crossline

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a vertical line before the accented beat marking the boundary between musical bars

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: line, musical notation

Narrower terms: double bar

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

18 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: тактова черта (taktova čerta) — vertical line across a staff
  • Chinese Mandarin: 小節線 /小节线 (xiǎojiéxiàn) — vertical line across a staff
  • Dutch: maatstreep — vertical line across a staff
  • Finnish: tahtiviiva — vertical line across a staff
  • French: barre de mesure — vertical line across a staff
  • German: Taktstrich — vertical line across a staff
  • Greek: διαστολή (diastolí) — vertical line across a staff
  • Icelandic: taktstrik — vertical line across a staff
  • Italian: sbarretta — vertical line across a staff
  • Māori: tapa — vertical line across a staff
  • Māori: paetapa — vertical line across a staff
  • Persian: خط میزان (xatt-e mizân) — vertical line across a staff
  • Polish: kreska taktowa — vertical line across a staff
  • Portuguese: barra de compasso — vertical line across a staff
  • Russian: та́ктовая черта́ (táktovaja čertá) — vertical line across a staff
  • Russian: такт (takt) — vertical line across a staff
  • Spanish: barra de compás — vertical line across a staff
  • Swedish: taktstreck — vertical line across a staff