barbed wire
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of barbed wire
First recorded in 1860–65
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How does barbed-wire compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
A stone's throw from the barbed wire and minefields that separate the two Koreas, thousands gathered for a music festival this weekend to sing about peace in a place synonymous with conflict.
From Barron's • Jun. 15, 2026
It is not confirmed that the land surrounded by barbed wire has been bought by companies linked to Kushner, who presented a plan for development projects in Albania two years ago.
From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026
The group - consisting of about eight to ten tourists - reached the ground and made their way to the edge of the site, which was surrounded by a barbed wire fence.
From BBC • Apr. 25, 2026
By figuring out how to economically mass produce barbed wire, Glidden certainly solved a problem.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026
He worked on the rope-making crew in the compound next to Phillips and each noon they managed to exchange a few words through the barbed wire separating the two enclosures.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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.
