parallel bars


noun
  1. (used with a plural verb) a gymnasium apparatus consisting of two wooden bars on uprights, adjustable in height, and used for swinging, vaulting, balancing exercises, etc.

  2. (used with a singular or plural verb) a competitive event for men on such an apparatus.

Origin of parallel bars

1
First recorded in 1865–70

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use parallel bars in a sentence

  • It can be constructed of parallel bars supported by upright poles firmly fixed on to the heavy base.

    The Montessori Method | Maria Montessori
  • Supported by high parallel bars, which were doubtless in turn supported by strong guy wires, were the aerials of a radiophone.

  • On the wrong side, the stitches should appear in parallel bars lying on the woof or filling thread.

    Clothing and Health | Helen Kinne
  • Historical parallel bars are usually set up for exhibiting feats of mental agility.

    The Creed of the Old South 1865-1915 | Basil L. Gildersleeve
  • I groped my way to the corner where the parallel bars stood, and there found the blazer, which I carried off in triumph.

    Tom, Dick and Harry | Talbot Baines Reed

British Dictionary definitions for parallel bars

parallel bars

pl n
  1. gymnastics

    • (functioning as plural) a pair of wooden bars on uprights, sometimes at different heights, for various exercises

    • (functioning as singular) an event in a gymnastic competition in which competitors exercise on such bars

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012