barelybare‧ly /ˈbeəli $ ˈberli/ ●●○ adverb 
She was very old and barely able to walk. Mary had barely enough money to live on.barely audible/perceptible/visible/discernible etc His voice was barely audible. She could barely understand English.2almost not SYN hardly: She was barely aware of his presence. Joe and his brother are barely on speaking terms.3used to emphasize that something happens immediately after a previous action SYN only just British English: Graham had barely finished his coffee when Henry returned.4used before amounts or numbers to emphasize that they are surprisingly small SYN only: Nowadays, the village has barely 100 inhabitants.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- 5000 gallons of water is barely enough to supply a fire truck for five minutes.
- Dave barely noticed my new dress.
- He had barely a mile to go before finishing the race.
- His voice was barely loud enough to be heard at the back of the theatre.
- I'd barely gotten home when the phone rang.
- She had barely slept 10 minutes before she was woken up again.
- She was barely eighteen, and pregnant with her second child.
- The class had barely started when the fire bell rang.
- The fog was so bad that we could barely see the road in front of us.
- The room was furnished barely.
- The staff here are barely coping with all the work.
- There was barely a gallon of gas in the tank.
- They lost, but just barely.
- A visit to the site of Expo 92 barely 10 days before the opening left many questions unanswered.
- And the stock barely budged from when he took over.
- Dole himself, his voice cracking, can barely get through his words: This is a great honor for Bob Dole.
- However, I was determined that I would marry him even though I'd only known him for barely six months.
- Our tiny apartment, it is true, is barely suited for two people, and certainly not for four.
- Robyn could barely think, let alone string coherent words together to form an answer.
- We had barely crept any closer to our target.
Longman Language Activatorimmediately after something else happens
· We met at a friend's party, and immediately became friends.· There was a loud explosion in the engine-room, and almost immediately a fire broke out.· I'll call you immediately we hear any news about the baby.immediately after/afterwards · We'll have to leave immediately after the meeting.· Mrs Smith was admitted to hospital at 10 o'clock, but died immediately afterwards.
immediately after something has happened or immediately after you have done something: · As soon as Stephen felt well again, he returned to work.· I will pay you back, I promise, the moment I get paid.· Honey, I swear, I'll phone you the moment I get to New York.
immediately after something has happened or someone has done something - use this especially in stories or in descriptions of events: no sooner had...than: · No sooner had they sat down to eat than the phone rang.· No sooner had he arrived in the city than his wallet was stolen.no sooner was/were...than: · No sooner were the words out of her mouth than she regretted them.
also hardly had immediately after an event or action has finished - use this especially in stories or in descriptions of events: · I'd done food shopping and had barely gotten to the door, when Debbie asked if I'd been listening to the radio.· Hardly had the film reached our screens last July than it was plagued by troubles and controversy.
to do something immediately, as soon as you have the chance to do it: lose no time in doing something: · When the new manager was appointed, he lost no time in reorganizing the office.· Murdock lost no time in setting out for London to find work.
at almost the same time that something else happens, and happening as a direct result of it: · Sea snakes inject a poison so strong that it kills a fish instantly.· It was a head-on crash and both drivers died instantly.
written if someone is killed outright , they die immediately from an attack or an accident: · He was killed outright when his car crashed at high speed.
when something is a particular size, amount etc, but no more · The house is just big enough for the whole family.· Pick the fruit when it's just ripe.
if someone or something is barely a particular size, level, amount, distance etc, it is that size, level etc, but no bigger or more than that: · There was barely a gallon of gas in the tank.· He had barely a mile to go before finishing the race.· His voice was barely loud enough to be heard at the back of the theatre.· 5000 gallons of water is barely enough to supply a fire truck for five minutes.
British /just barely American use this when something is a particular size, level, amount, distance etc, but you want to emphasize that it is not any bigger or any more than that: · The cable's only just long enough to reach my desk.· We can walk. Her house is just barely around the corner.
when something happened a short time ago · Sorry, she just left for home. Can I take a message?· The war had just ended, and the country's economy was in ruins.· You've had your hair cut, haven't you? I've just noticed.· I just heard the news! Congratulations!
especially British a very short time ago: · It's noon, and she's only just got up.· I've only just passed my driving test, so I'm still a little nervous.
also a moment ago especially British spoken a very short time ago - use this especially when a situation has changed: · She was here a minute ago.· There was a phone call for you a second ago, but I didn't know where you were.· What did I do with my glasses? I had them in my hand a moment ago.
also just this minute British spoken a very short time ago - use this especially when you are answering someone who is looking for someone else: · "Have you seen Carl?'' "I just this minute hung up on him.''· She just now left, so she should be home by six.· Didn't I just this minute tell you to tidy your room!· Sandy was on the Internet just now, that's why the phone was busy.
also hardly/scarcely British spoken use this to say that something had just happened when something else happened: · I had scarcely opened the door when the dog came running in.· She had barely slept 10 minutes before she was woken up again.· The class had barely started when the fire bell rang.· Hardly had King finished speaking when a shot was fired by someone in the crowd.
when something happens, although it almost did not happen · "Can I speak to Tony please?" "Sorry, you've just missed him."· If you hurry you'll just catch the 9.30 bus.· I just made it to class on time.· At the moment we're just making enough money to cover our costs.just in time (=with very little time to spare) · We got to the station just in time.
if you barely do something, you succeed, although you almost fail: · The fog was so bad that we could barely see the road in front of us.· The staff here are barely coping with all the work.
also nearly didn't British · I saw him a week ago and I almost didn't recognize him, he'd lost so much weight.· My alarm clock is broken and I nearly didn't wake up in time this morning.
British /just barely American use this when you succeed in doing something, but you want to emphasize how close you were to failing: · It was a close game. Beverly beat me, but only just.· I could just barely hear him.· The paperwork was only just completed in time for the conference.· The train was late, and I just barely made it to the meeting on time.
: narrowly win/defeat/fail etc if you narrowly win, lose etc, you win or lose by a very small number of points, votes etc: · The bill was narrowly defeated in the Senate.· She narrowly failed to beat the world record in the 100 metres sprint.
British use this to say that something good happened, but it almost did not: · The Labour party won the election, but it was a very near thing.· He nearly died - it was a very close thing.
if you do something by the skin of your teeth , you succeed in doing it, but only by a very small amount of time, space etc: · The business is surviving, but only by the skin of its teeth.· The car broke down on the way to the airport and they just caught the plane by the skin of their teeth.
when you do something, but only with difficulty also can scarcely British if you can hardly , can barely , or can scarcely do something, you are able to do it but only with a lot of difficulty: · I was so tired I could hardly keep my eyes open.· She's not strong. She can barely walk without holding on to something.· He lay flat on his back, scarcely able to breathe, waiting for the ambulance.
if you can just about do something, you are able to do it but only with a lot of difficulty: · I could just about reach it.· I think I can just about manage to get there on time. · He's just about able to walk on his own again.
when someone has become a particular age a short time ago if someone has just turned a particular age, they have very recently had their birthday: · She just turned five in August.· When he retired, he'd just turned 65.
if someone, usually a young person, is barely a particular age, they have only very recently had their birthday: · He's 35, and he's going out with a girl who's barely 18.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY She was very old and barely able to walk. Mary had barely enough money to live on. His voice was barely audible. She could barely understand English.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES The standard of his work is barely adequate. His voice was barely audible (=could only just be heard) above the roar of the crowd. The sound was barely perceptible.
1only with great difficulty or effort SYN only just: She was very old and barely able to walk. Mary had barely enough money to live on. His voice was barely audible. She could barely understand English. The standard of his work is barely adequate. His voice was barely audible (=could only just be heard) above the roar of the crowd.· George, barely awake, came stumbling down the stairs.
The sound was barely perceptible. (=almost not at all)· I can hardly remember him.
(=to not sleep well)· I’d hardly slept the night before the wedding.
· The parked car was barely visible in the darkness.
(=only a little louder than a whisper)· 'Not me', he said, in a voice barely above a whisper.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE· Some, because their interests lie elsewhere, may be barely able to read, and their writing may be rudimentary.· The police jeep and Boynes' vehicle were barely able to squeeze past.· Soon she was barely able to walk and she had oxygen cylinders fitted in her bedroom.· Cantor was barely able to utter this single word, so full of suspense, desire, triumph, and some deviousness.· On my final night I tottered back after two shows barely able to put one knee in front of the other.· His eyes were glassy and he seemed barely able to keep them open.· Still shocked and barely able to move; it's lucky to be alive.· By the end of the evening, I was barely able to speak.
· They were clumsy to use, the striking surface barely adequate.· But no one could suppose that the result could be more than barely adequate.· They were barely adequate, but to tell the truth there was not much worth lighting up.· Instead, he wrote a barely adequate, undistinguished letter.
· During the succession crisis of 1730 complaints against compulsory service were barely audible even among the lesser nobility.· The music in the restaurant is barely audible.· The sound was tar oft and barely audible.· When Jim acknowledged him, a barely audible groan rippled through the room.· At first, there were faint murmurings, barely audible even within the row, and self-conscious answers from the team leader.· He spoke in a barely audible, husky growl - but it overlay the rumble of a harshly controlled anger.· There was a smattering of light applause and a barely audible groan from the back.
· I'd just like to know! she whispered to herself, barely aware of the tears sliding down her cheeks.· Twenty-four hours ago she had been barely aware of his existence; now he seemed to be taking over her life!· He was barely aware of the feeling.
· He was still barely conscious and hadn't the energy to be anything but himself.· When I went to collect them, the sheep seemed barely conscious and the men looked like corpses.· I was barely conscious of anything except the will to live.· As she lay there, barely conscious, she heard the sound of a car engine approaching.· The girl was now writhing and moaning faintly, barely conscious of what was happening to her.
· The shapes in the room were barely discernible.· Amazingly, the contrast between his before and after physique was barely discernible.· They had been conquered by Menelik but among them the Abyssinian imprint was as yet barely discernible, for which I was thankful.· Behind them, a vague wall of audience, the faces barely discernible in bright, damp air.· Beyond the small cell the light from the sconce was barely discernible.· Somehow he'd scored the first small, barely discernible victory.
· The track continued along the bottom of the ravine but was barely distinguishable among the tumbled ruins of winter.· His days were barely distinguishable one from another.· Two groupings, with barely distinguishable names, have covered Teheran with photographs of bearded men and a few fully veiled women.
· He gave a barely perceptible nod as if he had read her mind and applauded her attitude.· This was followed by the barely perceptible rustle of snow crystals hitting the newly exposed portion of the roof.· And slowly, slowly, so gradually that it was barely perceptible, the watchers became aware of a change.· His voice carried a barely perceptible quaver.· These immortal ideas, things barely perceptible are the most precious things of life.· The roses in the garden of the aunts were covered by a thin, barely perceptible layer of dust.· A barely perceptible delay as you gaze through it.
· The footprints at sites 8 and 9 disappear very slowly; digestion products are barely visible even 30 minutes after mixing.· At night, the light of candles and hanging lamps rose into the darkness so the high beamed ceiling was barely visible.· The neon lights outside were barely visible through the sheen of condensation coating the inside of the cafe window.· Mostly black on black, its central diamond is traced in faint gold and barely visible.· From base camp the summit was barely visible, so on sighting the route our surprise was all the greater.· Jim kindled the Easter fire, a blue flame at first barely visible above the silver rim of a white bowl.· Up on the plain the driver appears to move arbitrarily between barely visible tracks.· Jean Piaget is barely visible amid piles of clutter.
VERB· Inflation did eventually accelerate, and tight-money measures have barely begun to halt it.· The second batch had barely begun to sizzle before the first was already gone.· Hunger is classed as the worst form of malnutrition by the report, because it often cuts short lives barely begun.· But by 1990-30 years later-that process had barely begun.· As yet, the process of liberalizing the public service dimension of electricity has barely begun.· Tacky barely begins to describe your actions in this mess.· The sun had barely begun its climb into the sky when there was a renewed flurry of activity outside the university hospital.· Though she was fifty-four, her career had barely begun.
· The air was so thick with smoke that one could barely breathe!· With the smoke and the dust, he could barely breathe.· The feeling of crisis was growing in him and he felt he could barely breathe.· Afraid and angry because I could barely breathe, I still could not ask her why she had abandoned me.· She longed for it to swallow her. Barely breathing, she closed her eyes.
· The party leadership - Neil Kinnock included - could barely conceal their delight when the vote was declared.· Chutra, naturally, boasted all afternoon and treated my Kutchi friends with barely concealed disdain.
· Yesterday the Kilshaws could barely contain their delight after learning of Mr Allen's arrest.· When the imitation worked and the ball went in, I could barely contain myself.· The mirror can barely contain me.
· The women, who were on legal aid, were offered an out-of-court settlement which would have barely covered their legal fees.· Add water to barely cover the cucumbers.· But the payments he gets barely cover his expenses.· Meanwhile, in another small saucepan, combine pearl onions and sugar with water to cover barely.· He stepped into it and was dragged away by two rescue workers whose ankles were barely covered by the water.· Add potatoes and enough water to barely cover everything.· They covered barely a third of that distance.· Make sure patties are just barely covered and add water as necessary to replace sauce that has cooked down.
· In one sense, these worlds barely exist at all.
· Dole himself, his voice cracking, can barely get through his words: This is a great honor for Bob Dole.· Then Hideo Nomo could barely get an out.· Derek Bentley could not have taken anybody anywhere; he could barely get himself around.· She barely got enough to eat, so the boys used to pay her with food.· Very soon this rigidity starts to restrict movements and by the time we reach old age we can barely get around.· She barely got a word in.· But the payments he gets barely cover his expenses.· I can barely get by on $ 60, 000 a year.
· In the 45-minute journey from Sandton to Pretoria, I barely heard two words spoken.· The flapping noise of windbreakers filled the air; you could barely hear the person next to you speak.· I could just barely hear her yells and shouts, a thin wailing carried on the wind.· As it was, we could barely hear the weather guy over the lousy phone hook-up.· They ran after me, shouting, but I could barely hear because of the noise of the wheelbarrow.· We could barely hear ourselves think.
· Just pinch them off and plant in seed compost, which should be kept barely moist in a bright, warm place.· Good grief I can barely keep my thoughts on my duties.· I can barely keep them open.· The latest update to your trusty old word processor can barely keep up with your keystrokes.· Critics could barely keep to the constitutional pretence that the monarch was above political error.· Now in 1997, speaking of the House, they came back, barely keeping their majority and with a wounded leader.· Poor thing, he could barely keep his eyes open half the time, and now he had this skin condition.
· I had been in the division only about three months, and barely knew what naphtha was.· If he had, he would not be facing deportation to a country he barely knows.· This led them to conclude that they were uncouth, filthy creatures who barely knew how to look after themselves.· He felt a peculiar bond with these men and women, though most of them he barely knew.· To this end it has settled in countries that a few hundred years ago barely knew of the apple's existence.· During the month of hectic packing and training at Fort Benning, I barely knew who they were.· What Fabia ate that lunchtime, though, she barely knew.· He was barely known at all.
· You could fire a starting pistol next to some and they would barely look up.· Dan and Harry could barely look.· A girl who looked barely older than herself opened it and smiled.· She barely looks old enough to be a candy striper.· Over there is even a young mother pushing her daughter in a stroller and barely looking winded.· At the end the two of them barely looked at each other.· He barely looked at me, but a wave of heat washed over me.· She barely looks 18 but might be 20.
· What was then so preposterous that it barely made sense in the realm of satire has now miraculously become a reality.· It was so dark he could barely make out the tree line on the distant shore.· Smitten by war, the plains of Kyrenia were barren, and the sponge-divers of the Karpass had made barely a living.· You can barely make out fragments of familiar scenes: a flood, a fire, a burning book.· On the axe was some lettering so small and cramped that Jack could barely make it out.· I could barely make out the men there.· He barely makes enough money to pay his monthly rent.
· She had barely moved an inch when she was aware of the sound of footsteps.· No one spoke all the way to Acra, and Streeter and Bartlett barely moved.· They are both so badly swollen they barely move.· The salamander, who now barely moved, could never have moved fast.· The fact that he could barely move his wounded arm didn't improve his mood.· I could barely move in it.· The dollar was little changed against the yen during Tokyo trading, and the government bond market barely moved.· The little three-point shooter takes the shots and sinks both of them so neatly that the net barely moves.
· She barely noticed it at all as she stood for a few seconds in front of the mirror and pulled the comb through her hair.· I barely noticed the dress she was wearing; what caught my eye was the necklace around her throat.· I barely noticed, only my automatic-pilot reflexes making me slow to within ten miles an hour of the speed limit.· As Connors spoke, I barely noticed our trip up the valley.· Others barely notice the baskets of warm toast, the crisp bacon and popping champagne corks.· I just met her that one time, and I barely noticed her.
· On tiptoe, leaning against the rickety lower shelves to keep from toppling, she could barely reach the book.· His rivals barely reach double digits.· Nikitina barely reached the train's engineer in time with the right information.· There was a starchy department head exchanging low fives and complicated hand slaps with a kid who barely reached his knee.
· He had barely registered this fact when he felt a tap on his shoulder.· Fonda barely registers in an underwritten role.· There was a faint sputtering noise behind, but he barely registered the sound or noticed the flicker.· Until his strong third-place showing in the Iowa caucuses, Alexander barely registered in the polls.
· He did not miss his music, and could barely remember his performing days.· But she can barely remember what happened yesterday.· That seems such ages ago, I can barely remember it.· What that had been in those days - power, prophecy, service, love-I could barely remember.· Anne spent 3 months in hospital and can barely remember this royal visit.· I could barely remember what a bed looked like.
· The lighting was so bad he could barely see where he was going.· It was dark, and I could barely see his face.· We lived in a barracks in the End, barely saw the inside of the tube for ten weeks.· I can barely see him in this moonlight.· Nomatterhow much he wiped at the condensation on the window, he could still barely see what was going on out there.· He could barely see over the stack of hatboxes he was carrying.· I could barely see ten yards because of the glare, and it was no use trying to look far ahead.· Curtis had placed his book bag on the table between us, so that I could barely see him.
· The elements in this mixture barely seem to hang together; or rather, radical disjunctions are part of the effect.· When I went to collect them, the sheep seemed barely conscious and the men looked like corpses.· His eyes were glassy and he seemed barely able to keep them open.· At first the momentous events unfolding in Rome seemed barely relevant.· Her career seemed barely more distinguished than that of Charlie McCarthy, the monocled dummy of her ventriloquist father, Edgar Bergen.
· We've barely spoken to each other ever since my mum's lived at his place.· When I see Marshall Douglas on the street, I can barely speak to him.· During the first session Susie barely spoke at all.· But when they got back, he barely spoke to them.· Noguchi was to spend four years at the Hights, taking meals, working in the garden, barely speaking.· But when she came up to me after that third seminar I was so shocked and embarrassed that I could barely speak.
· He didn't even notice the tannoy, he was already as tired as I was and he could barely stand.· With the breath sucked out of her lungs, she could barely stand upright in the face of the gusts.· The roofs of the towers look as though they would barely stand the rigours of a light breeze, let alone a rain storm.· With his bladder about ready to burst, Gao Yang could barely stand straight, let alone speak.· Buddie had beaten her with a stick until her mouth bled and she could barely stand.· Even though he could barely stand, John made one last desperate bid for survival.· Sead, who had been much more harshly treated than Nijaz, could barely stand as they met yesterday.
· For all the size of the Byrd discography, we have barely started to discover them.· He had barely started oul and already he was there.· This compares with about £560 million in 1970, when bank credit cards had barely started.· They've barely started dating, and they don't live together.· Indeed, even today, the social history of ordinary ageing in this country has barely started.· The business of disarming the 20,000 Renamo rebels and the 40,000 government troops has barely started.· I believe that it has barely started.
· Over the years, however, the tribes have become increasingly marginalised and their rich cultures and traditions have barely survived.· Some of them are barely surviving as it is.· The top pitch had barely survived one day's assault by the ice brigade.· While this was a victory and there was even a small wage increase, the Local had barely survived.· Novy Mir today barely survives with only 100,000 subscribers.· The FRAIhait, an unofficial but virtual Communist party organ, is barely surviving.· After barely surviving her ordeal, the young woman began years of reconstructive surgery.· His lobster-red elbow digs into my arm as he stands to adjust the nozzle. 1 barely survive the flight.
· They argue for ways to enhance health care that the Government can barely touch.· I came home from school as I had arrived: fast, my feet barely touching the pavement.· Photography and film were the media of the past 100 years, and the National Portrait Gallery barely touches the subject.· We took another shower and fell asleep, barely touching.· Even barely touching him, she could feel the taut power of the muscles beneath her hand.· Even questions of iconography were barely touched upon.· Luke stopped trying before she did, barely touching her and becoming increasingly uncommunicative.· E-e started kissing her crotch, very gently, his lips barely touching the fabric.
· This can lead to unpredictable effects since genes operate in highly complex relationships which are barely understood.· I barely understood any of the cultural references that they took for granted.
She was very old and barely able to walk. Mary had barely enough money to live on.barely audible/perceptible/visible/discernible etc His voice was barely audible. She could barely understand English.2almost not SYN hardly: She was barely aware of his presence. Joe and his brother are barely on speaking terms.3used to emphasize that something happens immediately after a previous action SYN only just British English: Graham had barely finished his coffee when Henry returned.4used before amounts or numbers to emphasize that they are surprisingly small SYN only: Nowadays, the village has barely 100 inhabitants.