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  • Bark is worse than his bite
    Bark is worse than his bite
    This person makes a great many threats but doesn't follow through on them.
  • bark is worse than his bite
    bark is worse than his bite
    A person seems more hostile or aggressive than is the case, as in Dad sounds very grouchy in the morning, but his bark's worse than his bite. This phrase was a proverb by the mid-1600s.

Bark is worse than his bite

Cultural  
  1. This person makes a great many threats but doesn't follow through on them.


bark is worse than his bite Idioms  
  1. A person seems more hostile or aggressive than is the case, as in Dad sounds very grouchy in the morning, but his bark's worse than his bite. This phrase was a proverb by the mid-1600s.


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.

England will be hoping that Van der Merwe's bark is worse than his bite in Pune.

From BBC • Nov. 7, 2023

First impression: I think his bark is worse than his bite.

From BBC • Jun. 5, 2017

Now the message appears to be that the president’s bark is worse than his bite.

From The Guardian • May 1, 2017

British officials on the scene, less alarmed, have convinced themselves that Lee's bark is worse than his bite.

From Time Magazine Archive

She concluded that, broadly speaking, Debrett's bark is worse than his bite, and that he is, at heart, a very accommodating character.

From Somehow Good by De Morgan, William Frend

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