bare

Adjective

bare (comparative barer, superlative barest)

1. Minimal; that is or are just sufficient.

   Synonyms: mere, minimal

   Antonyms: ample, plentiful, 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:

     Nature indeed furnishes us with the bare necessaries of life, but traffic gives us a great variety of what is useful

     The spelling has been modernized.

2. Naked, uncovered.

   Synonyms: exposed, naked, nude, uncovered, undressed

   Antonyms: covered, covered up, dressed, unexposed

   • 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."

3. Having no supplies.

   Synonyms: empty, unfurnished, unstocked, unsupplied

   Antonyms: full, furnished, stocked, supply, supplied, well-stocked

   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.

4. Having no decoration.

   Synonyms: empty, plain, unadorned, undecorated; see also Thesaurus:unadorned

   Antonyms: adorned, decorated, ornate; see also Thesaurus:gaudy

   The walls of this room are bare — why not hang some paintings on them?

5. Having had what usually covers (something) removed.

   Synonyms: despoiled, stripped, uncovered

   Antonym: covered

   The trees were left bare after the swarm of locusts devoured all the leaves.

6. (MLE, MTE, Yorkshire, slang, not comparable) A lot or lots of.

   It's taking bare time.

   • 2005 July 13, Ryan, quotee, “‘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

   • 2023, Nathan Bryon, Tom Melia, directed by Raine Allen-Miller, Rye Lane, spoken by Nathan (Simon Manyonda):

     Oh, come on. Help a brother out. People see you coppin', might inspire them. Look, I know you ain't payin' bills right now. Man must have bare peas saved up.

7. With head uncovered; bareheaded.

   Synonym: uncovered

   • [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, 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.

8. Without anything to cover up or conceal one's thoughts or actions; open to view; exposed.

   Synonyms: apparent, displayed; see also Thesaurus:apparent

   Antonyms: concealed, obscured; see also Thesaurus:hidden

   • 1671, John Milton, “Samson Agonistes, […].”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC, page 56, line 903:

     Bare in thy guilt how foul muſt thou appear?

9. (figuratively) Mere; without embellishment.

   Synonyms: alone, simple, only, very

   bare essentials; bare necessities

   • 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.

10. Threadbare, very worn.

    Synonyms: shabby, worn-out

    • c. 1590–1591 (date written), 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, [Act II, scene iv]:

      for it appears, by their bare liveries, that they live by your bare words.

11. Not insured.

    Synonyms: noninsured, uninsured

    • 1987 December 1, 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.

Adverb

bare

1. (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 with 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.”

2. (MLE, slang) Very; significantly.

   That pissed me off bare.

   That's bare stupid.

3. (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.

Noun

bare (plural bares)

1. (‘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.

2. Surface; body; substance.
   • c. 1599 (date written), I. M. [i.e., John Marston], The History of Antonio and Mellida. The First Part. […], London: […] [Richard Bradock] for Mathewe Lownes, and Thomas Fisher, […], published 1602, →OCLC, (please specify the page):

     You have touched the very bare of naked truth.

3. (architecture) That part of a roofing slate, shingle, tile, or metal plate, which is exposed to the weather.

Verb

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

1. (transitive, sometimes figurative) To uncover; to reveal.

   She bared her teeth at him.

   The tabloid newspaper promised to bare all.

Verb

bare

1. (obsolete) simple past of bear
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Chronicles 15:15:

     And the children of the Levites bare the ark of God upon their shoulders with the staves thereon

   • [1898], J[ohn] Meade Falkner, Moonfleet, London; Toronto, Ont.: Jonathan Cape, published 1934, →OCLC:

     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

Adjective

bare (comparative bareago, superlative bareen, excessive bareegi)

1. calm

Noun

bare anim

1. slug

Noun

bare inan

1. spleen

Adverb

bare

1. just
2. simply
3. only, merely

Conjunction

bare

1. 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.

2. if only (introduces a conditional subclause)

Adjective

bare

1. inflection of bar:
   1. definite singular
   2. plural

Declension

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants

• Dutch: baar
  • Afrikaans: baar

Alternative forms

• bar, baar, bayre, bere, beare

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /baːr/

Adjective

bare

1. unclothed; naked, nude

Noun

bare

1. (Northern) Alternative form of bor

Derived terms

• di bareya ... de