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• barb
  barb

  noun

  a point or pointed part projecting backward from a main point, as of a fishhook or arrowhead.
• BARB
  BARB

  acronym

  Broadcasters' Audience Research Board

barb

¹ American  

[bahrb] / bɑrb /

noun

1. a point or pointed part projecting backward from a main point, as of a fishhook or arrowhead.

   Synonyms:

   spicule, prickle, snag, barbule, prong, spike, spur

2. an obviously or openly unpleasant or cutting remark.

3. Botany, Zoology. a hooked or sharp bristle.

4. Ornithology. one of the processes attached to the rachis of a feather.

5. one of a breed of domestic pigeons, similar to the carriers or homers, having a short, broad bill.

6. any of numerous, small, Old World cyprinid fishes of the genera Barbus and Puntius, often kept in aquariums.

7. Veterinary Pathology. Usually barbs. a small protuberance under the tongue in horses and cattle, especially when inflamed and swollen.

8. Also a linen covering for the throat and breast, formerly worn by women mourners and now only by some nuns.

9. Obsolete. a beard.

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verb (used with object)

1. to furnish with a barb or barbs.

barb ² American  

[bahrb] / bɑrb /

noun

1. one of a breed of horses raised originally in Barbary.

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barb ³ American  

[bahrb] / bɑrb /

noun

Slang.

1. barbiturate.

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barb ¹ British  

/ bɑːb /

noun

1. a subsidiary point facing in the opposite direction to the main point of a fish-hook, harpoon, arrow, etc, intended to make extraction difficult

2. any of various pointed parts, as on barbed wire

3. a cutting remark; gibe

4. any of the numerous hairlike filaments that form the vane of a feather

5. a beardlike growth in certain animals

6. a hooked hair or projection on certain fruits

7. any small cyprinid fish of the genus Barbus (or Puntius ) and related genera, such as B. conchonius ( rosy barb )

8. (usually plural) any of the small fleshy protuberances beneath the tongue in horses and cattle

9. 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

10. obsolete a beard

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verb

1. (tr) to provide with a barb or barbs

barb ² British  

/ bɑːb /

noun

1. a breed of horse of North African origin, similar to the Arab but less spirited

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barb ³ British  

/ bɑːb /

noun

1. a black kelpie See kelpie 1

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BARB ⁴ British  

/ bɑːb /

acronym

1. Broadcasters' Audience Research Board

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barb Scientific  

/ bärb /

1. A sharp point projecting backward, as on the stinger of a bee.

2. One of the hairlike branches on the shaft of a feather.

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Other Word Forms

• barbed
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of barb¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English barbe “beard, pleated cloth, barb (of an arrow),” from Middle French, Old French barbe, from Latin barba beard

Origin of barb²

First recorded in 1600–10; from French barbe, shortened form of Italian barbero “Barbary steed,” equivalent to Barber(ia) “Barbary” + -o masculine noun suffix

Origin of barb³

First recorded in 1955–60; by shortening

Explanation

Whether it is a spike on the wire atop a security fence or a mean remark someone said about you, a barb can hurt. When you encounter either kind of barb, you should stay away. Barb comes from the Latin word barba, which means “beard.” Beards offer protection from things like cold and wind, but as Mommy found out when she kissed Santa Claus, they can also be quite scratchy. Perhaps this is why, when it comes to talking about beards, some people speak nothing but barbs.

Example Sentences

As a result, Barb Fence Co. gave its founders both riches and a historical legacy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

The hand-cranked coffee mill was replaced with horse-powered machinery, and Glidden and a partner, Isaac Ellwood, formed Barb Fence Co.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

In Beaufort, an antebellum city founded in 1711, an estimated 3,000 people turned out — a marked increase over earlier “No Kings” rallies, said Barb Nash, one of the coordinators.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 28, 2026

In a statement, Barb said staff had "poured passion, creativity, and hard work into our games and our studio", adding that it was "deeply saddened" and "didn't anticipate having to make redundancies after launch".

From BBC • Oct. 18, 2025

The art books, the AffloVest hanging on the edge of the bed from when I shrugged it off as soon as Barb left, my open sketchbook on the table.

From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott

Related Words

• criticism
• gibe
• insult
• sarcasm