bare

Universal Words adjective, verb adjective (barer, barest) 1 not covered by any clothes: She likes to walk around in bare feet. * They wore shabby clothes and their feet were bare. 2 (of trees or countryside) not covered with leaves; without plants or trees: the bare branches of winter trees * a bare mountainside * We looked out over a bare, open landscape, stripped of vegetation. 3 (of surfaces) not covered with or protected by anything: bare wooden floorboards * Bare wires were sticking out of the cable. * The walls were bare except for a clock. 4 (of a room, cupboard, etc.) empty: The fridge was completely bare. * bare shelves * a room bare of furniture 5 [onlybeforenoun] just enough; the most basic or simple: The family was short of even the bare necessities of life. * We only had the bare essentials in the way of equipment. * He did the bare minimum of work but still passed the exam. * She gave me only the bare facts of the case. * It was the barest hint of a smile. * Nothing more is known apart from the bare statement issued to the press. -< NAKED bareness noun [U] IDIOMS the bare bones (of sth) the basic facts: the bare bones of the story with your bare hands without weapons or tools: He was capable of killing a man with his bare hands. * We pulled the wall down with our bare hands. lay sth bare (written) to show sth that was covered or to make sth known that was secret: Every aspect of their private lives has been laid bare. moreatCUPBOARD verb [VN] to remove the covering from sth, especially from part of the body: She was paid several thousand dollars to bare all (= take all her clothes off) for the magazine. IDIOMS bare your soul (to sb) to tell sb your deepest and most private feelings bare your teeth to show your teeth in a fierce and threatening way: The dog bared its teeth and growled.