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

---

Etymology

Origin of barbed wire

First recorded in 1860–65

Compare meaning

How does barbed-wire compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• razor wire vs. barbed wire

Example Sentences

Surveillance camera footage captured Mott scaling an 8-foot fence topped with barbed wire at the perimeter of the airport in just 15 seconds, then walking across the runway.

From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 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

Four spent their military service stationed near the heavily fortified inter-Korean border, known for barbed wire, harsh winters and intense training.

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

Or that someone was just here, right before Boomer and I slipped under the barbed wire.

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish

Related Words

• fence
• fencing