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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.

So who is the father of barbed wire?

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

A collection of small, wall-mounted sculptures, he combined fragments of found and recycled steel and welded them into forms of chains, sharp tools, barbed wire and other metal objects.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2026

In Jhapa, soldiers with armoured trucks manned barbed wire barricades around the counting centre.

From Barron's • Mar. 7, 2026

A woman waiting for endometriosis treatment has said the pain she experiences is like having barbed wire in her body.

From BBC • Jan. 8, 2026

All the banks and department stores were surrounded by barbed wire.

From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler

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.