barb

[ bahrb ]

/ bɑrb /

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See synonyms for: barb / barbed on Thesaurus.com

noun

a point or pointed part projecting backward from a main point, as of a fishhook or arrowhead.

an obviously or openly unpleasant or cutting remark.

Botany, Zoology. a hooked or sharp bristle.

Ornithology. one of the processes attached to the rachis of a feather.

one of a breed of domestic pigeons, similar to the carriers or homers, having a short, broad bill.

any of numerous, small, Old World cyprinid fishes of the genera Barbus and Puntius, often kept in aquariums.

Usually barbs. Veterinary Pathology. a small protuberance under the tongue in horses and cattle, especially when inflamed and swollen.

Also barbe. a linen covering for the throat and breast, formerly worn by women mourners and now only by some nuns.

Obsolete. a beard.

verb (used with object)

to furnish with a barb or barbs.

OTHER WORDS FOR barb

1 spur, spike, prong, barbule; snag, prickle, spicule.

See synonyms for barb on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of barb

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English barbe “beard, pleated cloth, barb (of an arrow),” from Middle French, Old French barbe, from Latin barba beard

Other definitions for barb (2 of 3)

barb²

[ bahrb ]

/ bɑrb /

noun

one of a breed of horses raised originally in Barbary.

Origin of barb

First recorded in 1600–10; from French barbe, shortened form of Italian barbero “Barbary steed,” equivalent to Barber(ia) “Barbary” + -o masculine noun suffix

Other definitions for barb (3 of 3)

barb³

[ bahrb ]

/ bɑrb /

noun Slang.

barbiturate.

Origin of barb

First recorded in 1955–60; by shortening

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use barb in a sentence

Rather than trying to craft your own Bisset barbs, you can just impress your friends with these Twitter zingers.
Hollywood's Morning After: Emma Watson’s Pants and More|Amy Zimmerman|January 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
While local and national officials traded barbs over who screwed up in Rio, Francis made the most of the mishap.
‘Viva Papa Francisco!’ Brazil Celebrates Pope’s Trip|Mac Margolis|July 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Mitt Romney is a goofy, clueless aristocrat who trades barbs with his sassy African-American butler.
The Seven Best Reality TV Shows Mitt Romney Could Make|Matt Latimer|November 12, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The ads are just two in a long string of attack barbs the two camps have launched at each other.
Obama’s New Attack Ads Hit Mitt Romney’s Statehouse Record|Daniel Stone|June 20, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Male water striders are clearly adapted for marathon sex: they have hooks and barbs to keep them attached to females.
‘Zoobiquity’: What Animals Can Teach Us About Our Health|Carl Zimmer|June 17, 2012|DAILY BEAST
In this paper I string these barbs to the bow of motherhood, and trust they may pierce to the joints of the harness.
The Quiver 3/1900|Anonymous
The hunter then threw his spear, made with three barbs of different lengths, and caught the duck on the sharp central prong.
Historic Adventures|Rupert S. Holland
Then he pulled out two cleverly-carved bone barbs, which he fitted on the forks and fastened by sinews to the staff.
Northwest!|Harold Bindloss
There was a sort of socket in the upper end of it, and the points of the two pieces of horn were formed into barbs.
Cruisings in the Cascades|George O. Shields
A horn spear, with barbs, and a fine shell sinker, shows that they lived on fish.
The Romantic Settlement of Lord Selkirk's Colonists|George Bryce

British Dictionary definitions for barb (1 of 4)

barb¹

/ (bɑːb) /

noun

a subsidiary point facing in the opposite direction to the main point of a fish-hook, harpoon, arrow, etc, intended to make extraction difficult

any of various pointed parts, as on barbed wire

a cutting remark; gibe

any of the numerous hairlike filaments that form the vane of a feather

a beardlike growth in certain animals

a hooked hair or projection on certain fruits

any small cyprinid fish of the genus Barbus (or Puntius) and related genera, such as B. conchonius (rosy barb)

(usually plural) any of the small fleshy protuberances beneath the tongue in horses and cattle

a white linen cloth forming part of a headdress extending from the chin to the upper chest, originally worn by women in the Middle Ages, now worn by nuns of some orders

obsolete a beard

verb

(tr) to provide with a barb or barbs

Derived forms of barb

barbed, adjective

Word Origin for barb

C14: from Old French barbe beard, point, from Latin barba beard

British Dictionary definitions for barb (2 of 4)

barb²

/ (bɑːb) /

noun

a breed of horse of North African origin, similar to the Arab but less spirited

Word Origin for barb

C17: from French barbe, from Italian barbero a Barbary (horse)

British Dictionary definitions for barb (3 of 4)

barb³

/ (bɑːb) /

noun

Australian a black kelpieSee kelpie 1

Word Origin for barb

C19: named after one that was named Barb after a winning racehorse

British Dictionary definitions for barb (4 of 4)

BARB

/ (bɑːb) /

n acronym for (in Britain)

Broadcasters' Audience Research Board

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for barb

barb

[ bärb ]

A sharp point projecting backward, as on the stinger of a bee.

One of the hairlike branches on the shaft of a feather.

barb

OTHER WORDS FOR barb

Origin of barb

Other definitions for barb (2 of 3)

Origin of barb

Other definitions for barb (3 of 3)

Origin of barb

Words related to barb

How to use barb in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for barb (1 of 4)

Derived forms of barb

Word Origin for barb

British Dictionary definitions for barb (2 of 4)

Word Origin for barb

British Dictionary definitions for barb (3 of 4)

Word Origin for barb

British Dictionary definitions for barb (4 of 4)

Scientific definitions for barb