barbed wire
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of barbed wire
First recorded in 1860–65
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How does barbed-wire compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
Protesters clashed with private security guards on Saturday in the region after gathering to register their anger at newly installed barbed wire blocking access to the beach.
From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026
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
Two men hold a roll and the others spool off the barbed wire.
From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque
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.
