Barbary

[ bahr-buh-ree ]

/ ˈbɑr bə ri /

Save This Word!

noun

a region in N Africa, extending from W of Egypt to the Atlantic Ocean and including the former Barbary States.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Words nearby Barbary

barbarize, Barbarossa, Barbarossa I, Barbarossa II, barbarous, Barbary, Barbary ape, Barbary Coast, Barbary Coast Wars, Barbary fig, Barbary sheep

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Barbary in a sentence

We fought our first foreign war in Algiers to defeat the Barbary pirates.
The Algeria Powder Keg|Bruce Riedel|January 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Several years later, in 1951, Norman published his second novel Barbary Shore.
Joyce Carol Oates Salutes Norman Mailer|Joyce Carol Oates|October 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The panther I have described, and two other animals of the same species kept at Versailles, were brought from Barbary.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume VII (of 10)|Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon
In Barbary the hyna bears the name of dubbah, as appears from the description given of this animal by Dr. Shaw.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume VII (of 10)|Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon

Next to the lion and panther, the dubbah is the most fierce of all the animals of Barbary.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume VII (of 10)|Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon
The squirrels of Barbary, Switzerland, and the palmist, are three species very much like each other.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume VII (of 10)|Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon
The magot, which is a very common animal in Upper Egypt, as well as in Barbary, was known to the ancients.
Buffon's Natural History. Volume IX (of 10)|Georges Louis Leclerc de Buffon

British Dictionary definitions for Barbary

Barbary

/ (ˈbɑːbərɪ) /

noun

a historic name for a region of N Africa extending from W Egypt to the Atlantic and including the former Barbary States of Tripolitania, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco

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