crowbar

noun

crow·​bar ˈkrō-ˌbär How to pronounce crowbar (audio)
: an iron or steel bar that is usually wedge-shaped at the working end for use as a pry or lever
crowbar transitive verb

Examples of crowbar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In the civil suit, the Smith family’s lawyers said Taranto handed a cane or a crowbar to the other man, David Walls-Kaufman. Emily Davies, Washington Post, 29 June 2023 Cureton allegedly broke in to the 82-year-old woman's home by shattering the door with a crowbar, LMPD spokesperson Matthew Sanders said. Leo Bertucci, The Courier-Journal, 9 Jan. 2024 So people break in and know where to focus their efforts, using basic tools like a crowbar. Ingrid Schmidt, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Feb. 2024 The rioters overturned wagons, armed themselves with pickaxes and crowbars, and pried up paving stones. David Owen, The New Yorker, 2 Jan. 2024 Police said the gas station’s ATM had been tampered with, and investigators found a crowbar at the scene. Michael Brice-Saddler, Washington Post, 21 Jan. 2024 The film uses the politics of hatred to flaunt a repudiation of the cinematic and cultural norms of the independent-film scene while also using those politics as a crowbar to force its way to prominence in it. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 5 Dec. 2023 In 2015, Ortiz’s brother, Tommy, was charged with striking a man in the head with a crowbar, leaving the man hospitalized. Dugan Arnett, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Mar. 2023 Cureton allegedly broke in to the 82-year-old woman's home by shattering the door with a 3-foot long crowbar, LMPD spokesperson Matthew Sanders said in a statement. Leo Bertucci, The Courier-Journal, 8 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crowbar.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1748, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of crowbar was in 1748

Dictionary Entries Near crowbar

Cite this Entry

“Crowbar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crowbar. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

crowbar

noun
crow·​bar ˈkrō-ˌbär How to pronounce crowbar (audio)
: a metal bar used as a lever or pry

More from Merriam-Webster on crowbar

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