/ˈbeəli/
Translation
Only just; almost not at all.
Word origin
From Old English bær, meaning bare or uncovered; the word first meant plainly.
- Origin
- Old English
- Root
- bær
- English cognates
- bare
Examples
.
"Barely" means I do hear you, but only just.
.
Here "barely" means she ate almost nothing.
.
"Barely" says it very nearly did not happen.
Used in
Grammar articles
(6)Compound nouns in English: car park, coffee cup, and why GREENhouse is not green HOUSE
Inversion and word order in English: the subject-verb-object spine and when it flips
Irregular verbs in English: the full list by pattern
Past simple tense: rules, examples and when to use it
Question tags in English: the mirror rule, aren't I, and tags after let's and imperatives
Used to, would and be used to: talking about past habits and states in English
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Go to my review queueThis word is part of lesson 32.