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Synonyms

barbed wire

American  

noun

  1. a wire or strand of wires having small pieces of sharply pointed wire twisted around it at short intervals, used chiefly for fencing in livestock, keeping out trespassers, etc.

barbed wire British  

noun

  1. Also called (US): barbwire.  strong wire with sharply pointed barbs at close intervals

"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

Etymology

Origin of barbed wire

First recorded in 1860–65

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Barbed wire served as a symbol of violence and oppression, but also of agriculture, cultivation and survival.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

Barbed wire also became a common sight, strewn across the no-man’s-

From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022

Barbed wire is seen laid on a deserted road during restrictions in Srinagar, August 5, 2019.

From Reuters • Nov. 23, 2021

Barbed wire, door panels, steel sheets, chairs and tables are among materials being used to fence up alleys and isolate neighborhoods.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 21, 2021

Barbed wire had been developed by American ranchers to keep cattle from breaking through fences.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.