barb
1a point or pointed part projecting backward from a main point, as of a fishhook or arrowhead.
an obviously or openly unpleasant or cutting remark.
Botany, Zoology. a hooked or sharp bristle.
Ornithology. one of the processes attached to the rachis of a feather.
one of a breed of domestic pigeons, similar to the carriers or homers, having a short, broad bill.
any of numerous, small, Old World cyprinid fishes of the genera Barbus and Puntius, often kept in aquariums.
Usually barbs. Veterinary Pathology. a small protuberance under the tongue in horses and cattle, especially when inflamed and swollen.
Also barbe. a linen covering for the throat and breast, formerly worn by women mourners and now only by some nuns.
Obsolete. a beard.
to furnish with a barb or barbs.
Origin of barb
1Other words for barb
Words Nearby barb
Other definitions for barb (2 of 3)
one of a breed of horses raised originally in Barbary.
Origin of barb
2Other definitions for barb (3 of 3)
Origin of barb
3Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use barb in a sentence
Jon was a big fan and he spent hours planning responses to every possible barb.
Bills are piling up in an Iowa court case, Heki v. Bachmann, filed by another former Bachmann staffer, barb Heki.
Exclusive: Congressional Ethics Probe Adds to Michele Bachmann’s Political Woes | John Avlon | March 25, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTBut every barb is delivered with a wink—and a chiseled, dashing smile.
Behind the Scenes at ‘The Soup’: Joel McHale, Brian Williams & More | Kevin Fallon | February 8, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThe Daily Pic: barb Choit shows us old images as they fade to black – or cyan.
Even an exchange on gun control enabled Obama to recycle a barb once used against John Kerry, who played Romney in debate prep.
Barack Obama Seizes the Upper Hand Over Mitt Romney at Second Debate | Howard Kurtz | October 17, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
Accordingly he carries to court a beautiful barb, and requests his majesty's acceptance of it.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun; | VariousSome had one good edge, or a point or barb, while the other parts of the same stones showed only the natural form and fracture.
The Indian in his Wigwam | Henry R. SchoolcraftThis time he had received a genuine wound, with poison upon the barb of the arrow that had pierced him.
Sevenoaks | J. G. HollandHe held in his hand a curious wooden spear with a loose barb tipped with the tusk of a walrus.
The Norsemen in the West | R.M. BallantyneIn form it belongs to Class A of stemmed implements, is lozenge-shaped, without shoulder or barb.
The Swastika | Thomas Wilson
British Dictionary definitions for barb (1 of 4)
/ (bɑːb) /
a subsidiary point facing in the opposite direction to the main point of a fish-hook, harpoon, arrow, etc, intended to make extraction difficult
any of various pointed parts, as on barbed wire
a cutting remark; gibe
any of the numerous hairlike filaments that form the vane of a feather
a beardlike growth in certain animals
a hooked hair or projection on certain fruits
any small cyprinid fish of the genus Barbus (or Puntius) and related genera, such as B. conchonius (rosy barb)
(usually plural) any of the small fleshy protuberances beneath the tongue in horses and cattle
a white linen cloth forming part of a headdress extending from the chin to the upper chest, originally worn by women in the Middle Ages, now worn by nuns of some orders
obsolete a beard
(tr) to provide with a barb or barbs
Origin of barb
1Derived forms of barb
- barbed, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for barb (2 of 4)
/ (bɑːb) /
a breed of horse of North African origin, similar to the Arab but less spirited
Origin of barb
2British Dictionary definitions for barb (3 of 4)
/ (bɑːb) /
Australian a black kelpie: See kelpie 1
Origin of barb
3British Dictionary definitions for BARB (4 of 4)
/ (bɑːb) /
Broadcasters' Audience Research Board
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for barb
[ bärb ]
A sharp point projecting backward, as on the stinger of a bee.
One of the hairlike branches on the shaft of a feather.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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