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• barber
  barber

  noun

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

  noun

  Samuel, 1910–81, U.S. composer.

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

Explanation

A barber is a person whose job is cutting hair in a barbershop. Your barber might have a tendency to cut your hair a little shorter than you like. When you visit a barbershop, you sit in a special chair while the barber cuts your hair with scissors or electric clippers. Men are the most common customers of a barber, although women can also get their hair cut by barbers. Barber comes from the Anglo-French word barbour, which is rooted in the Latin word for "beard," barb. Early barbers were certified not only to cut hair, but to perform surgery and dentistry as well.

Example Sentences

And there’s Bowen getting a haircut from Angel Delgadillo, the Seligman, Ariz., barber, now 99, who kicked off a resurgence of interest in Route 66 in 1987 with a call for historical recognition.

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026

Early the following year, Raynella remarried David Leath, a local barber who, according to the News-Sentinel, was Ed Dossett’s best friend.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

BBC Sport has also contacted the barber and Cucurella's representatives for comment.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

In 2023, he told the BBC a mole discovered by his barber during a haircut after a lockdown restriction was found to be malignant melanoma.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

Mama made the coach stop at a barber shop around the corner from their house.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith