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• barber
  barber

  noun

  a person whose occupation it is to cut and dress the hair of customers, especially men, and to shave or trim the beard.
• Barber
  Barber

  noun

  Samuel, 1910–81, U.S. composer.

barber

¹ American  

[bahr-ber] / ˈbɑr bər /

noun

1. a person whose occupation it is to cut and dress the hair of customers, especially men, and to shave or trim the beard.

2. frost smoke.

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verb (used with object)

1. to trim or dress the hair or beard of.

Barber ² American  

[bahr-ber] / ˈbɑr bər /

noun

1. Samuel, 1910–81, U.S. composer.

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barber ¹ British  

/ ˈbɑːbə /

noun

1. a person whose business is cutting men's hair and shaving or trimming beards

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verb

1. to cut the hair of

2. to shave or trim the beard of

Barber ² British  

/ ˈbɑːbə /

noun

1. Samuel . 1910–81, US composer: his works include an Adagio for Strings , adapted from the second movement of his string quartet No. 1 (1936) and the opera Vanessa (1958)

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Other Word Forms

• unbarbered
  adjective
• well-barbered
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of barber

1275–1325; Middle English barbour < Anglo-French; Old French barbeor, equivalent to barb ( e ) (< Latin barba beard) + -eor < Latin -ātōr- -ator

Explanation

A barber is a person whose job is cutting hair in a barbershop. Your barber might have a tendency to cut your hair a little shorter than you like. When you visit a barbershop, you sit in a special chair while the barber cuts your hair with scissors or electric clippers. Men are the most common customers of a barber, although women can also get their hair cut by barbers. Barber comes from the Anglo-French word barbour, which is rooted in the Latin word for "beard," barb. Early barbers were certified not only to cut hair, but to perform surgery and dentistry as well.

Example Sentences

In 2025, chief executive Paul Barber told BBC Sport the club were exploring the safety of various surfaces as part of their stadium plans, with a view to reducing injury risk.

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026

Sam Barber; 2 p.m. the Marcus King Band; 6 p.m.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 25, 2026

Christopher and his brother were both in the 2023 Broadway revival of “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” starring Josh Groban.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026

“We weren’t asking them for a donation,” Barber said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

And I guess that’s what happened to Mr. Barber, who forgot that his left foot was behind the back leg of my chair.

From "Okay for Now" by Gary D. Schmidt