bark

[ bahrk ]

/ bɑrk /

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See synonyms for: bark / barked / barking on Thesaurus.com

noun

the abrupt, harsh, explosive cry of a dog.

a similar sound made by another animal, as a fox.

a short, explosive sound, as of firearms: the bark of a revolver.

a brusque order, reply, etc.: The foreman's bark sent the idlers back to their machines.

a cough.

verb (used without object)

(of a dog or other animal) to utter an abrupt, explosive cry or a series of such cries.

to make a similar sound: The big guns barked.

to speak or cry out sharply or gruffly: a man who barks at his children.

Informal. to advertise a theater performance, carnival sideshow, or the like, by standing at the entrance and calling out to passersby.

to cough.

verb (used with object)

to utter in a harsh, shouting tone: barking orders at her subordinates.

OTHER WORDS FOR bark

11 shout, bellow, yell, roar, bawl.

See synonyms for bark on Thesaurus.com

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ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ

There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!

Question 1 of 7

True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.

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Idioms about bark

bark at the moon, to protest in vain: Telling her that she's misinformed is just barking at the moon.

bark up the wrong tree, to assail or pursue the wrong person or object; misdirect one's efforts: If he expects me to get him a job, he's barking up the wrong tree.

Origin of bark

First recorded before 900; Middle English berken, beorken, borken, barke, Old English beorcan; akin to Old English borcian “to bark,” Old Norse berkja “to bluster, boast,” Lithuanian burgė́ti “to growl, quarrel,” Serbo-Croatian br̀gljati “to murmur”

OTHER WORDS FROM bark

barkless, adjective

Words nearby bark

barium sulfide, barium sulphate, barium thiosulfate, barium titanate, bar joist, bark, bark beetle, bark cloth, barkeeper, barkentine, barker

Other definitions for bark (2 of 3)

bark²

[ bahrk ]

/ bɑrk /

noun

the external covering of the woody stems, branches, and roots of plants, as distinct and separable from the wood itself.

Tanning. a mixture of oak and hemlock barks.

candy, usually of chocolate with large pieces of nuts, made in flat sheets.

verb (used with object)

to rub off or scrape the skin of, as by bumping into something: to bark one's shins.

to remove a circle of bark from; girdle.

to cover, enclose, or encrust with or as if with bark.

to treat with a bark infusion; tan.

to strip the bark from; peel.

Origin of bark

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old Norse bǫrkr (genitive barkar )

OTHER WORDS FROM bark

barkless, adjective

Other definitions for bark (3 of 3)

bark³

or barque

[ bahrk ]

/ bɑrk /

noun

Nautical. a sailing vessel having three or more masts, square-rigged on all but the aftermost mast, which is fore-and-aft-rigged.

Literary. a boat or sailing vessel.

Origin of bark

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English barke, from Old French barque, ultimately from Late Latin barca “small boat, barge, bark”; akin to Latin bāris, from Greek bâris “Egyptian flat-bottomed boat, raft, barge,” from Coptic barī “boat, barge”

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

How to use bark in a sentence

This song is specifically for the underdogs whose bark is as big as their bite and want to prove they’re number one on the block.
Busta Rhymes’ Teaches the Art of Bragging in This Week’s The Playlist|cmurray|December 4, 2020|Essence.com
Pine needles and conesThis common needle-bearing tree can provide tea and an edible inner bark.
13 edible plants you can still find in the winter|By Tim MacWelch/Outdoor Life|December 1, 2020|Popular-Science
Low-severity embers can ramp up a tree’s response such that it’s better equipped to fight back bark beetles, native parasites than can devastate entire stands of conifers when the trees are already weakened by forces like drought.
How we can burn our way to a better future|Ula Chrobak|October 2, 2020|Popular-Science
Prior to a jumping worm invasion, the soft layer of decomposing leaves, bark and sticks covering the forest floor might be more than a dozen centimeters thick.
Invasive jumping worms damage U.S. soil and threaten forests|Megan Sever|September 29, 2020|Science News

Cotton balls, drier lint, curls of birch bark, and even greasy snack chips can turn the small flame of a match into the roaring flame of a campfire.
The 10-step guide to survival in an emergency|By Tim MacWelch/Outdoor Life|September 29, 2020|Popular-Science
A neighborhood dog had begun to bark, and they were worried about the police coming.
The Stacks: The Judas Priest Teen Suicide Trial|Ivan Solotaroff|June 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The wire is long gone, but a rusted snag remains entombed in the bark.
How the Kings of Fracking Double-Crossed Their Way to Riches|ProPublica|March 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Rock reportedly coined the phrase, “Cows moo, dogs bark, Labour puts up taxes.”
British Prime Minister’s Child Porn Adviser Arrested Over Child Porn|Tim Teeman|March 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Impossible,” began the other, but was silenced by a sort of bark from Mr. Wilde.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show|Robert W. Chambers|February 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It all boils down to scratching your name in the bark of a tree.
Mel Brooks Is Always Funny and Often Wise in This 1975 Playboy Interview|Alex Belth|February 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A primitive savage makes a bow and arrow in a day: it takes him a fortnight to make a bark canoe.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock
As I came near the house, the dogs began to bark, just as I discovered my horse tied to a tree.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson
Suddenly the spaniel leapt up with that feverish, spider-like activity of the toy species and began to bark.
Dope|Sax Rohmer
The dog gave a short bark, and looked to the front, as if to say, "Look out—trouble ahead."
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn
So with a fearful growl, and a bark that might have frightened a lion, Bravo made a leap and a spring after poor little Downy.
The Nursery, July 1873, Vol. XIV. No. 1|Various

British Dictionary definitions for bark (1 of 3)

bark¹

/ (bɑːk) /

noun

the loud abrupt usually harsh or gruff cry of a dog or any of certain other animals

a similar sound, such as one made by a person, gun, etc

his bark is worse than his bite he is bad-tempered but harmless

verb

(intr) (of a dog or any of certain other animals) to make its typical loud abrupt cry

(intr) (of a person, gun, etc) to make a similar loud harsh sound

to say or shout in a brusque, peremptory, or angry tonehe barked an order

US informal to advertise (a show, merchandise, etc) by loudly addressing passers-by

bark up the wrong tree informal to misdirect one's attention, efforts, etc; be mistaken

Word Origin for bark

Old English beorcan; related to Lithuanian burgěti to quarrel, growl

British Dictionary definitions for bark (2 of 3)

bark²

/ (bɑːk) /

noun

a protective layer of dead corky cells on the outside of the stems of woody plants

any of several varieties of this substance that can be used in tanning, dyeing, or in medicine

an informal name for cinchona

verb (tr)

to scrape or rub off skin, as in an injury

to remove the bark or a circle of bark from (a tree or log)

to cover or enclose with bark

to tan (leather), principally by the tannins in barks

Word Origin for bark

C13: from Old Norse börkr; related to Swedish, Danish bark, German Borke; compare Old Norse björkr birch

British Dictionary definitions for bark (3 of 3)

bark³

/ (bɑːk) /

noun

a variant spelling (esp US) of barque

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 bark

bark

[ bärk ]

The protective outer covering of the trunk, branches, and roots of trees and other woody plants. Bark includes all tissues outside the vascular cambium. In older trees, bark is usually divided into inner bark, consisting of living phloem, and outer bark, consisting of the periderm (the phelloderm, cork cambium, and cork) and all the tissues outside it. The outer bark is mainly dead tissue that protects the tree from heat, cold, insects, and other dangers. The appearance of bark varies according to the manner in which the periderm forms, as in broken layers or smoother rings. Bark also has lenticels, porous corky areas that allow for the exchange of water vapor and gases with the interior living tissues.

Other Idioms and Phrases with bark

bark

In addition to the idioms beginning with bark

bark is worse than his bite
bark up the wrong tree

also see:

talk one's arm off (the bark off a tree)

bark

OTHER WORDS FOR bark

Idioms about bark

Origin of bark

OTHER WORDS FROM bark

Words nearby bark

Other definitions for bark (2 of 3)

Origin of bark

OTHER WORDS FROM bark

Other definitions for bark (3 of 3)

or barque

Origin of bark

Words related to bark

How to use bark in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bark (1 of 3)

Word Origin for bark

British Dictionary definitions for bark (2 of 3)

Word Origin for bark

British Dictionary definitions for bark (3 of 3)

Scientific definitions for bark

Other Idioms and Phrases with bark