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.

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barbed wire British  

noun

1. Also called (US): barbwire.  strong wire with sharply pointed barbs at close intervals

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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

On opposite sides of the makeshift barricade, fronted by coils of barbed wire, Cambodians lamented their lost homes and livelihoods as Thailand's military showed off its gains.

From Barron's

As if the trees weren’t an adequate barrier, a metal fence surrounds the approach, decorated with rolls of barbed wire.

From Literature

“I’m leaving here even more concerned than I was when I arrived,” Padilla said, as the detention facility, surrounded by barbed wire, loomed behind him.

From Los Angeles Times

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

From BBC

The O’Smach building in which they were held was surrounded by high corrugated iron walls topped with barbed wire.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• fence
• fencing