Words / B2

BAIR/beə/

Bare means not covered by clothes, plants, or decoration; also the smallest possible (the bare minimum); as a verb, to uncover: bare rock; bare feet; the bare facts. Naked and uncovered are close twins; bear (the animal / to carry) is a homophone trap. Bare rock on the OS map is geology. Mix-up: bear / beer; barely. Do not write bare for a fully furnished room in the source.

Meaning

Not covered by clothes, plants, or decoration; also the smallest possible (the bare minimum); as a verb, to uncover.

Examples

• “Bare rock on the OS map is geology, not a fashion caption.”
• “The bare minimum still needs a named threshold, which is the smallest-possible sense.”

Good to know

bare rock / feet / walls; the bare minimum / facts; bare + noun (verb). Close: uncovered / naked. Trap: bear. Geography, science, and evaluations. Uncovered, or the smallest possible amount — specify.

Near in meaning

uncovered, naked, empty

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