behind bars
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
Yet Filipinos themselves simply can not seem to imagine their leaders behind bars.
Within two weeks gang leader Michael McAvoy and Brian Robinson were behind bars after a suspect cracked.
British National Corpus sentence via the MAGPIE corpus (CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review.
Common questions
What does “behind bars” mean?
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
Is “behind bars” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.