rebar
REE-bar
/ˈriː.bɑːr/
Steel bars or mesh installed inside concrete to provide high tensile strength.
Concrete excels at resisting crushing (compression) but needs internal steel rebar to resist bending and pulling (tension).
The story behind the word. Coined during 20th-century industrial construction as shorthand for 'reinforcing bar'. The raised ribs along its outer surface were designed and patented to interlock directly with hardening concrete.
Word relationships
- reinforcement bar: The formal full term for which rebar is the universal trade contraction.
- steel rod: A generic term lacking the engineered ridged surface texture built into standard rebar.
- unreinforced concrete: Concrete poured entirely without internal steel bar or mesh reinforcement.
Commonly confused with
- formwork: Formwork is external temporary mold framing; rebar is internal permanent steel reinforcement.
Collocations
- epoxy-coated rebar
- rebar grid
- reinforcing rebar
- tie rebar
Example sentences
- "Engineers specified high-yield rebar to ensure the bridge deck could endure heavy traffic loads." Structural Engineering
- "Safety inspectors required protective plastic caps on all vertical rebar ends around the foundation trench." Jobsite Safety
Memory hook
REBAR RE-enforces BARs inside concrete. Rebar = steel spine of concrete.
When not to use
Do not use to describe exposed exterior steel structural columns or decorative ironwork.
Fun facts
- Steel rebar expands and contracts at nearly the exact same rate as concrete during temperature changes.
Explore more words
reinforced, tensile, ductility, load-bearing, arch, demolition
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.