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.
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barber
1 American
[bahr-ber]
/ ˈbɑr bər /
noun
-
barbers
plural
-
a person whose occupation it is to cut and dress the hair of customers, especially men, and to shave or trim the beard.
verb (used with object)
-
barbers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
barbered,
past participle, past
-
barbering
present participle
Barber
2
American
[bahr-ber]
/ ˈbɑr bər /
noun
barber
1
British
/ ˈbɑːbə /
noun
verb
-
to cut the hair of
-
to shave or trim the beard of
Barber
2
British
/ ˈbɑːbə /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
barbersimple
-
barberssimple
-
have barberedperfect
-
has barberedperfect
-
am barberingprogressive
-
are barberingprogressive
-
is barberingprogressive
-
have been barberingperfect progressive
-
has been barberingperfect progressive
Past
-
barberedsimple
-
had barberedperfect
-
was barberingprogressive
-
were barberingprogressive
-
had been barberingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing barber
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.
See Examples For:
On visits to his native Taiwan, Huang is received like a megastar, with fans crowding him for autographs and selfies as journalists follow him to the barber shop and his favorite night market.
From Barron's ● Nov. 12, 2026
McCoy is the kind of barber you break up with your other barber for.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 9, 2026
It also later emerged former defender Marc Cucurella's barber had revealed on social media that Pedro and Cole Palmer would miss a trip to Brighton last season after discussing the matter with his client.
From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2026
“The art it represents,” wrote Vincent Canby in the New York Times, “belongs to that school of very classy calendar art supported by airlines, insurance corporations and a few enlightened barber shops.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
The priest and the barber were everyday callers, but they were afraid he might remember past events if he saw either one of them.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
Barber Thomas Perriman only recently started his career but has decided to give up some of his time to help out.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
Former US steelworker Denise Barber retired three years ago, but steep gasoline prices and family healthcare needs are making the Ohio resident consider returning to part-time work to make ends meet.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
For Barber, that evolutionary record offers a natural archive of biological experiments that could help researchers develop new medical tools.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026
He cut hair at Joe’s Barber Shop in Inglewood when not traveling.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
“Good,” said the King pleasantly, realising that he would be in time for the Barber, after all.
From "Mary Poppins" by P. L. Travers
Other barbers can be inconsistent from cut to cut, but are punctual and personable.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 9, 2026
Some barbers are good at what they do, but have an attitude and can barely show up on time for an appointment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 9, 2026
The government is now looking at changing legislation, to allow authorities to close illegal mini-marts, barbers and vape shops for up to a year.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
In February last year, the crump of artillery was still distant, but the factories had long since shut down as the city turned into a military camp with restaurants and barbers catering to soldiers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
They signed a loyalty oath to get their pay from the finance officer, to obtain their PX supplies, to have their hair cut by the Italian barbers.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
Trees barbered to resemble incense pots and traditional Yemeni daggers.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 7, 2021
After growing steadily more uncomfortable with the length of my regularly barbered hair, I decided to go for it and cut the mop.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 24, 2020
It’s a big American story that rolls across barbered lawns and then leaves you stranded in some all-night Sam’s Club of the soul.
From New York Times ● Mar. 19, 2018
Coaches who have barbered the rulebook like Edward Scissorhands look upon Calipari with a weird mixture of awe and disdain.
From Slate ● Mar. 16, 2010
Even for the first day, he was almost suspiciously well barbered.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
Social media has been "massive" for the barbering industry, says dad-of-three Alsanawi, whose Instagram is filled with videos of him giving players including England vice-captain Declan Rice fresh trims.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
Oasis Restore was hailed as a "revolution in youth justice", where young offenders were given one-on-one support and trained with workshops, such as catering and barbering.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2025
A T-level in hairdressing, barbering and beauty therapy was due to begin in 2023, but was delayed before eventually being scrapped altogether.
From BBC ● May 10, 2024
But this was the first time the center had hosted an actual barbering class.
From Seattle Times ● May 10, 2023
I do not think I ever really hated him until he had that little spell of superiority at lunch—that and when he went through all that barbering.
From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway
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