barely

adverb
UK: /ˈbeə.li/
US: /ˈber.li/

  1. Almost not; by the smallest amount; hardly.

    1. I barely know him, we met only once. [ ] [ ]
    2. She barely made it to the train station before her train departed so she was very relieved. [ ] [ ]

  2. Only just; a very short time before or after something.

    1. We barely finished the work on time. [ ] [ ]
    2. The movie had barely started when the power went out leaving everyone disappointed. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

hardly scarcely just

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "barely" in English means: Almost not; by the smallest amount; hardly., Only just; a very short time before or after something..

The phonetic transcription of "barely" is /ˈbeə.li/ in British English and /ˈber.li/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "barely": hardly, scarcely, just.

Example usage of "barely": "I barely know him, we met only once.". More examples on the page.