bare

See also: Baré, bāre, bārē, barē, båre, Bäre, and ba-rê

English

Pronunciation

(UK) IPA^(key): /bɛə(ɹ)/, /bɛː(ɹ)/, enPR: bâr
(US) IPA^(key): /bɛəɹ/, enPR: bâr
Audio (US) (file)
Rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)
Homophone: bear

Etymology 1

From Middle English bare, bar, from Old English bær (“bare, naked, open”), from Proto-West Germanic *baʀ, from Proto-Germanic *bazaz (“bare, naked”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰosós, from *bʰos- (“bare, barefoot”).

Cognate with Scots bare, bair (“bare”), Saterland Frisian bar (“bare”), West Frisian baar (“bare”), Dutch baar (“bare”), German bar (“bare”), Swedish bar (“bare”), Icelandic ber (“bare”), Lithuanian basas (“barefoot, bare”), Polish bosy (“barefoot”).

Adjective

bare (comparative barer, superlative barest)

Minimal; that is or are just sufficient.
a bare majority
- 1711 May 30 (Gregorian calendar), Joseph Addison, “SATURDAY, May 19, 1711”, in The Spectator, number 69; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume I, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, OCLC 191120697:
  Nature indeed furnishes us with the bare necessaries of life, but traffic gives us a great variety of what is useful
Naked, uncovered.
- 1961, Roald Dahl, James and the Giant Peach, Knopf, page 46:
  "I refuse to show myself out of doors in my bare feet," the Centipede said. "I have to get my boots on again first."
Having no supplies.
a room bare of furniture
The cupboard was bare.
- 2012 October 31, David M. Halbfinger, "," New York Times (retrieved 31 October 2012):
  Localities across New Jersey imposed curfews to prevent looting. In Monmouth, Ocean and other counties, people waited for hours for gasoline at the few stations that had electricity. Supermarket shelves were stripped bare.
Having no decoration.
The walls of this room are bare — why not hang some paintings on them?
Having had what usually covers (something) removed.
The trees were left bare after the swarm of locusts devoured all the leaves.
(MLE, MTE, Yorkshire, slang, not comparable) A lot or lots of.
It's bare money to get in the club each time, man.
It's taking bare time.
- 2005 July 13, quoting Ryan, “‘We like the easy money. We like the lifestyle’”, in The Guardian‎:
  The phone would answer, we'd go round the corner, pass something to someone, go back and we'd have bare dough, we'd have bare money in our pocket.
- 2016 December 3, Millie B (lyrics and music), “Soph Aspin Send”, performed by Millie B:
  You shagged bare lads, you're a little sket / Have you heard your bars? They're fucking pept
With head uncovered; bareheaded.
- [1633], George Herbert, “The Church-porch”, in [Nicholas Ferrar], editor, The Temple: Sacred Poems, and Private Ejaculations, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: […] Thomas Buck and Roger Daniel; and are to be sold by Francis Green, […], OCLC 1048966979; reprinted London: Elliot Stock, […], 1885, OCLC 54151361, page 14:
  When once thy foot enters the church, be bare. / God is more there, then thou: for thou art there / Onely by his permiſſion.
Without anything to cover up or conceal one's thoughts or actions; open to view; exposed.
- 1671, John Milton, “Samson Agonistes, […]”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J. M[acock] for John Starkey […], OCLC 228732398, line 903, page 56:
  Bare in thy guilt how foul muſt thou appear?
(figuratively) Mere; without embellishment.
- 1848, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, Chapter XII:
  Those who lent him money lent it on no security but his bare word.
Threadbare, very worn.
- c. 1590–1591, William Shakespeare, “The Two Gentlemen of Verona”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act II, scene iv]:
  for it appears, by their bare liveries, that they live by your bare words.
Not insured.
- 1987, 1 December, ABA Journal (page 86)
  Before the company was formed, the firm went bare for about three months in 1985, but it now has prior acts coverage for that time.
- 1994, David S. Haviland, The Architect's Handbook of Professional Practice (page 310)
  That a firm chooses to go bare has no effect on whether it gets sued or not.

Synonyms

(minimal): mere, minimal
(without a condom): Thesaurus:condomless
(naked): exposed, naked, nude, uncovered, undressed
(having no supplies): empty, unfurnished, unstocked, unsupplied
(having no decoration): empty, plain, unadorned, undecorated
(having had what usually covers (something) removed): despoiled, stripped, uncovered

Antonyms

(minimal): ample, plentiful, sufficient
(naked): covered, covered up, dressed, unexposed
(having no supplies): full, furnished, stocked, supplied, well-stocked
(having no decoration): adorned, decorated, ornate
(having had what usually covers (something) removed): covered

Derived terms

Terms derived from bare (adjective)

ace bare
bare-arse
bare-assed
bare-assed
bareback
barebacked
bare-backed
bare-bellied
bare-bellied Joe
bare boards
bareboat
barebone
bare-boned
bare-bones
bare bones
bare-boobed
bare-bottomed
bare-breasted
bare-bum
bare-butt
bare-chested
bare-eared squirrel monkey
barefaced
barefoot, barefooted
bare-footed
bare-footen
bare hand
barehanded
bare-handed
bare-handedly
bare-handedness
bareheaded
bare-headed
bare infinitive
bare knuckle
bare-knuckle
bare-knuckle boxing
bare-knuckled
bare knuckled
bare-knuckle fight
bare knuckling
bare-knuckling
bareland
barelegged
bare license
barely
bare metal
bare minimum
bare navy
bareness
bare noun
bare patch
bare poles
bare-shouldered
bareskin
bare-skin
bare-throated bellbird
barish
in one's bare skin
king bare
lay bare
lay bare one's soul
pale-faced bare-eye
threadbare
with one's bare hands

Translations

minimal

Bulgarian: най-малък (naj-malǎk)
Finnish: pelkkä (fi)
French: minimal (fr)
Greek:
Ancient: ψιλός (psilós)
Hungarian: csekély (hu), elenyésző (hu), minimális (hu), puszta (hu)
Italian: basilare (it)
Kabuverdianu: inban
Manx: lhome
Norwegian:
Bokmål: minimal
Russian: едва́ доста́точный (jedvá dostátočnyj)
Scottish Gaelic: lom
Spanish: mínimo (es)

naked, uncovered

Armenian: մերկ (hy) (merk), տկլոր (hy) (tklor)
Basque: has (eu)
Bulgarian: гол (bg) (gol), непокрит (bg) (nepokrit)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 裸 (zh), 赤裸 (zh)
Danish: bar (da)
Dutch: bloot (nl)
Esperanto: nuda (eo)
Faroese: berur
Finnish: paljas (fi)
French: nu (fr) m, nue (fr) f
German: bar (de), nackt (de)
Greek:
Ancient: γυμνός (gumnós), ψιλός (psilós)
Gothic: 𐌽𐌰𐌵𐌰𐌸𐍃 (naqaþs)
Hungarian: csupasz (hu), pőre (hu), meztelen (hu)
Italian: nudo (it) m, nuda (it) f
Korean: 맨 (ko) (maen)
Latin: nudus m, nuda f, nudum n
Latvian: pliks (lv)
Manx: lhome
Norman: nu
Norwegian:
Bokmål: naken (no), bar (no)
Nynorsk: naken
Old English: bær
Persian: برهنه‎ (fa) (berahne)
Portuguese: nu (pt) m
Russian: го́лый (ru) (gólyj)
Sanskrit: ऋक्ष (sa) (ṛkṣa)
Scottish Gaelic: rùisgte, lom, lomnochd
Spanish: desnudo (es)
Swedish: bar (sv)
Tagalog: hubad (tl)
Turkish: çıplak (tr)
Vietnamese: trần (vi), trơ (vi), trụi (vi)
Volapük: nüdik (vo)
Walloon: nou (wa) m
West Frisian: keal

having no supplies

Finnish: tyhjä (fi)
Hungarian: kopár (hu), üres (hu)
Italian: privo (it), vuoto (it)
Kabuverdianu: inban
Scottish Gaelic: lom

having no decoration

Bulgarian: прост (bg) (prost), неукрасен (bg) (neukrasen)
Dutch: kaal (nl)
Finnish: tyhjä (fi), paljas (fi)
Hungarian: csupasz (hu), kopár (hu), dísztelen (hu)
Italian: nudo (it), grezzo (it)
Latvian: pliks (lv)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: bar (no), udekket
Persian: لخت‎ (fa) (loxt)
Russian: пусто́й (ru) (pustój) (of a room), го́лый (ru) (gólyj) (of a wall or canvas)
Scottish Gaelic: lom
Spanish: desnudo (es)

having had what usually covers (something) removed

Bulgarian: оголен (bg) (ogolen)
Finnish: paljas (fi)
Greek:
Ancient: ψιλός (psilós)
Hungarian: puszta (hu), csupasz (hu), pőre (hu)
Italian: spoglio (it)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: bar (no), udekket, naken (no), snau, flein
Scottish Gaelic: lom, rùisgte
Spanish: desnudo (es)
Swedish: bar (sv)
Tagalog: nahubaran

slang words meaning "lot or lots of"

Finnish: rutosti (fi)
Hungarian: csomó (hu), rakás (hu)
Norwegian:
Bokmål: mye (no), masse (no)

Adverb

bare

(dialect) Barely.
- 1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide
  The fiend had bare departed when Ailie came over the threshold to find the auld carline glunching over the fire.
- 2009, Allan Cole; Chris Bunch, The Wars of the Shannons:
  He finally came back to himself and asked why the furor. "Why," Lucy said, "because this is Christmas Eve. We have bare enough time to get ready for the ball, after dinner, as it is."
- 2011, Elizabeth Vaughan, Warprize:
  “I've bare enough for these two, much less fill your belly.”
(MLE, slang) Very; significantly.
That pissed me off bare.
That's bare stupid.
(slang) Without a condom.
- 2000, Northeast African Studies - Volume 7, page 119:
  While none of the participants had complete confidence in condoms, they continued to use them as a better alternative than “going in bare".
- 2002, The Society of Malawi Journal - Volumes 55-58, page 70:
  It would be fine to have these women bare, without condoms.
- 2010, M. L. Matthews, I Am Not the Father: Narratives of Men Falsely Accused of Paternity, →ISBN:
  I like to go bare. I don't like wearing condoms, actually I hate 'em.

Translations

slang words meaning "very, significantly"

Finnish: tosi (fi)
Hungarian: tök (hu), tökre
Norwegian:
Bokmål: veldig (no), svært (no)

barely — see barely

without condom

Finnish: paljaalla
Norwegian:
Bokmål: bareback, ubeskyttet

Noun

bare (plural bares)

(‘the bare’) The surface, the (bare) skin.
- 1599, John Marston, Antonio and Mellida
  In sad good earnest, sir, you have toucht the very bare of naked truth [...]
- 2002, Darren Shan, Hunters of the dusk: 7:
  Vancha clasped the bare of my neck and squeezed amiably.
Surface; body; substance.
- c. 1599 (date written), I. M. [i.e., John Marston], The History of Antonio and Mellida. The First Part. […], London: […] [R. Bradock] for Mathewe Lownes, and Thomas Fisher, […], published 1602, OCLC 670741281, (please specify the page):
  You have touched the very bare of naked truth.
(architecture) That part of a roofing slate, shingle, tile, or metal plate, which is exposed to the weather.

Etymology 2

From Middle English baren, from Old English barian, from Proto-Germanic *bazōną (“to bare, make bare”).

Verb

bare (third-person singular simple present bares, present participle baring, simple past and past participle bared)

(transitive) To uncover; to reveal.
She bared her teeth at him.

Usage notes

The verb should not be confused with the verb bear.

Synonyms

(uncover): expose, lay bare, reveal, show, uncover; see also Thesaurus:reveal

Antonyms

(uncover): cover, cover up, hide

Derived terms

Terms derived from bare (verb)

bare all
bare it all
bare one's heart
bare one's breast
bare one's soul
bare one's teeth

Translations

to uncover, reveal

Finnish: paljastaa (fi), näyttää (fi)
Hungarian: kitakar (hu), felfed (hu), kimutat (hu), kivillant
Icelandic: bera (is)
Latin: nudo
Norwegian:
Bokmål: avdekke, vise (no)
Spanish: descubrir (es)
Volapük: nüdükön (vo)

Etymology 3

Inflected forms.

Verb

bare

(obsolete) simple past tense of bear
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, 1 Chronicles 15:15:
  And the children of the Levites bare the ark of God upon their shoulders with the staves thereon
- 1898, J. Meade Falkner, chapter 5, in Moonfleet, London; Toronto, Ont.: Jonathan Cape, published 1934:
  And so I put thee on my shoulder and bare thee back, and here thou art in David's room, and shalt find board and bed with me as long as thou hast mind to

References

bare in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911
bare in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
Jonathon Green (2023), “bare adj.”, in Green's Dictionary of Slang

Anagrams

Aber, Bear, Brea, Reba, bear, brae, rabe

Basque

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /baɾe/, [ba.ɾe̞]

Adjective

bare (comparative bareago, superlative bareen, excessive bareegi)

calm

Declension

Declension of bare (adjective, ending in vowel)
		indefinite	singular	plural
absolutive		bare	barea	bareak
ergative		barek	bareak	bareek
dative		bareri	bareari	bareei
genitive		bareren	barearen	bareen
comitative		barerekin	barearekin	bareekin
causative		barerengatik	barearengatik	bareengatik
benefactive		barerentzat	barearentzat	bareentzat
instrumental		barez	bareaz	bareez
inessive	anim.	barerengan	barearengan	bareengan
inessive	inanim.	baretan	barean	bareetan
locative	anim.	—	—	—
locative	inanim.	baretako	bareko	bareetako
allative	anim.	barerengana	barearengana	bareengana
allative	inanim.	baretara	barera	bareetara
terminative	anim.	barerenganaino	barearenganaino	bareenganaino
terminative	inanim.	baretaraino	bareraino	bareetaraino
directive	anim.	barerenganantz	barearenganantz	bareenganantz
directive	inanim.	baretarantz	barerantz	bareetarantz
destinative	anim.	barerenganako	barearenganako	bareenganako
destinative	inanim.	baretarako	barerako	bareetarako
ablative	anim.	barerengandik	barearengandik	bareengandik
ablative	inanim.	baretatik	baretik	bareetatik
partitive		barerik	—	—
prolative		baretzat	—	—

Noun

bare anim

slug

Declension

Declension of bare (animate, ending in vowel)
	indefinite	singular	plural
absolutive	bare	barea	bareak
ergative	barek	bareak	bareek
dative	bareri	bareari	bareei
genitive	bareren	barearen	bareen
comitative	barerekin	barearekin	bareekin
causative	barerengatik	barearengatik	bareengatik
benefactive	barerentzat	barearentzat	bareentzat
instrumental	barez	bareaz	bareez
inessive	barerengan	barearengan	bareengan
locative	—	—	—
allative	barerengana	barearengana	bareengana
terminative	barerenganaino	barearenganaino	bareenganaino
directive	barerenganantz	barearenganantz	bareenganantz
destinative	barerenganako	barearenganako	bareenganako
ablative	barerengandik	barearengandik	bareengandik
partitive	barerik	—	—
prolative	baretzat	—	—

Noun

bare inan

spleen

Declension

Declension of bare (inanimate, ending in vowel)
	indefinite	singular	plural
absolutive	bare	barea	bareak
ergative	barek	bareak	bareek
dative	bareri	bareari	bareei
genitive	bareren	barearen	bareen
comitative	barerekin	barearekin	bareekin
causative	barerengatik	barearengatik	bareengatik
benefactive	barerentzat	barearentzat	bareentzat
instrumental	barez	bareaz	bareez
inessive	baretan	barean	bareetan
locative	baretako	bareko	bareetako
allative	baretara	barera	bareetara
terminative	baretaraino	bareraino	bareetaraino
directive	baretarantz	barerantz	bareetarantz
destinative	baretarako	barerako	bareetarako
ablative	baretatik	baretik	bareetatik
partitive	barerik	—	—
prolative	baretzat	—	—

References

“bare” in Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia [General Basque Dictionary], euskaltzaindia.eus
"bare" in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia [Dictionary of the Basque Academy], euskaltzaindia.eus
“bare” in Etymological Dictionary of Basque by R. L. Trask, sussex.ac.uk

Czech

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈbarɛ/

Noun

bare

vocative singular of bar

Danish

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈbaːrə/, [ˈb̥ɑːɑ]

Etymology 1

From the adjective bar (“naked”).

Adverb

bare

just
simply
only, merely

Conjunction

bare

I wish, I hope, if only (introduces a wish)
- 1979, Tove Ditlevsen, Vi har kun hinanden: To som elsker hinanden, →ISBN:
  Bare vi var alene.
  I wish we were alone.
- 2014, Pernille Eybye, Blodets bånd #1: Blodsøstre, Tellerup A/S, →ISBN:
  „Bare jeg kunne blive hele natten," fortsatte han.
  "If only I could stay all night", he continued.
- 2013, Lyngby-Taarbæk Bibliotekerne, Tanker om tid: 15 udvalgte noveller, BoD – Books on Demand, →ISBN, page 43:
  Bare jeg kunne spole tiden tilbage.
  If only I could rewind time.
if only (introduces a conditional subclause)

Synonyms

gid, om, hvis bare, kun

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Adjective

bare

inflection of bar:
1. definite singular
2. plural

Dutch

Pronunciation

Audio (file)

Verb

bare

(archaic) singular present subjunctive of baren

German

Pronunciation

Audio (file)

Adjective

bare

inflection of bar:
1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
2. strong nominative/accusative plural
3. weak nominative all-gender singular
4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

Italian

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈba.re/
Rhymes: -are
Hyphenation: bà‧re

Noun

bare f

plural of bara

Anagrams

Arbe, Erba, ebra, erba, reba

Lithuanian

Noun

bare m

locative/vocative singular of baras

Manx

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Adjective

bare

best

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch *bāra, from Proto-West Germanic *bāru, from Proto-Germanic *bērō.

Noun

bâre f

bier, stretcher

Declension

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants

Dutch: baar

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English bær, from Proto-West Germanic *baʀ, from Proto-Germanic *bazaz.

Alternative forms

bar, bere

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /baːr/

Adjective

bare

unclothed; naked, nude

Descendants

English: bare
Scots: bare, bair
Yola: baar, baare

References

“bār, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Noun

bare

(Northern) Alternative form of bor

Miriwung

Verb

bare

to stand

Northern Kurdish

Etymology

Compare Persian ‎ (bâre, “subject, issue”).

Noun

bare m

topic
hashtag

Derived terms

di bareya ... de

Norwegian Bokmål

Adjective

bare

definite singular of bar
plural of bar

Adverb

bare

only, merely, just
but

Conjunction

bare

if; as long as

References

“bare” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Anagrams

aber

Norwegian Nynorsk

Adverb

bare

(pre-2012) alternative form of berre

Serbo-Croatian

Noun

bare (Cyrillic spelling баре)

vocative singular of bȃr

Noun

bare (Cyrillic spelling баре)

inflection of bȁra:
1. genitive singular
2. nominative/accusative/vocative plural

Swedish

Adjective

bare

absolute definite natural masculine singular of bar.

Anagrams

aber

bare

English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Adjective

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Adverb

Translations

Noun

Etymology 2

Verb

Usage notes

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 3

Verb

References

Anagrams

Basque

Pronunciation

Adjective

Declension

Noun

Declension

Noun

Declension

References

Czech

Pronunciation

Noun

Danish

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Adverb

Conjunction

Synonyms

Etymology 2

Adjective

Dutch

Pronunciation

Verb

German

Pronunciation

Adjective

Italian

Pronunciation

Noun

Anagrams

Lithuanian

Noun

Manx

Etymology

Adjective

Middle Dutch

Etymology

Noun

Declension

Descendants

Further reading

Middle English

Etymology 1

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Adjective

Descendants

References

Noun

Miriwung

Verb

Northern Kurdish

Etymology

Noun

Derived terms

Norwegian Bokmål

Adjective