barber

¹ American  

[bahr-ber] / ˈbɑr bər /

noun

1. a person whose occupation it is to cut and dress the hair of customers, especially men, and to shave or trim the beard.

2. frost smoke.

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verb (used with object)

1. to trim or dress the hair or beard of.

Barber ² American  

[bahr-ber] / ˈbɑr bər /

noun

1. Samuel, 1910–81, U.S. composer.

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barber ¹ British  

/ ˈbɑːbə /

noun

1. a person whose business is cutting men's hair and shaving or trimming beards

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verb

1. to cut the hair of

2. to shave or trim the beard of

Barber ² British  

/ ˈbɑːbə /

noun

1. Samuel . 1910–81, US composer: his works include an Adagio for Strings , adapted from the second movement of his string quartet No. 1 (1936) and the opera Vanessa (1958)

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Other Word Forms

• unbarbered adjective
• well-barbered adjective

Etymology

Origin of barber

1275–1325; Middle English barbour < Anglo-French; Old French barbeor, equivalent to barb ( e ) (< Latin barba beard) + -eor < Latin -ātōr- -ator

Example Sentences

Wednesday to pick up his barbers from his downtown business and start cutting hair at Los Angeles Mission in Skid Row.

From Los Angeles Times

They were barbers with booking links, nurses on telehealth, and delivery jobs by the hundreds of thousands.

From The Wall Street Journal

They include a doctor, a rapper, a karate champion, a barber and an actor, sons, grandsons and fathers.

From New York Times

Now 3 years old, Shawn is quick to mimic his father’s every move: “When I go to the barber for a haircut, he wants one too,” said Towers with a chuckle.

From Los Angeles Times

Another August 2021 case the bureau left out of its calculations involved a man, upset at a Florida barber shop, who came in with a gun and pointed it at customers.

From Washington Times