Barking

[ bahr-king ]

/ ˈbɑr kɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR Barking ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a borough of Greater London, England.

Nearby words

barkentine, barker, barkhan, barkhausen, barkhausen effect, Barking, barking and dagenham, barking deer, barking frog, barkla, barkley

Definition for barking (2 of 3)

bark

[ bahrk ]

/ bɑrk /

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.

Origin of bark

before 900; Middle English berken, Old English beorcan; akin to Old English borcian to bark, Old Norse berkja to bluster, Lithuanian burgė́ti to growl, quarrel, Serbo-Croatian br̀gljati to murmur

SYNONYMS FOR bark

11 shout, bellow, yell, roar, bawl.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bark ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

bark·less, adjective

Definition for barking (3 of 3)

bark

[ 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

1250–1300; Middle English < Old Norse bǫrkr (genitive barkar)

Related forms

bark·less, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for barking

Back at police headquarters, Chief of Police Michael Floore Sr. ran out of the detective bureau, barking into a walkie talkie.
The Disappearing Cops of East St. Louis|Justin Glawe|November 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Bears needed a shot of adrenaline to wake the barking dogs.
The Hit Heard Around the World|Rich Cohen|November 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Producers are barking into an earpiece to speed things up or slow things down.
Why Is It So Hard to Be a Reality-TV Host?|Kevin Fallon|April 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He approached ahead of her, barking furiously, and I put down my hand for him to sniff, which seemed to enrage him further.
Working in The Royal Archives and Dreaming Up a Novel|Tom Sykes|October 16, 2012|DAILY BEAST

They make all kinds of calls and noises as we pass: slurps, hissing, barking, and even machine-gun sounds.
Egypt’s Sexual Harassment Epidemic|Sophia Jones, Erin Banco|June 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST
A harsh voice or two and the sound of whips presently silenced the barking dogs, and all was still again.
The Golden Dog|William Kirby
Just a little before daybreak they were all wakened by the bellowing of the oxen and the barking of dogs.
Hunting the Lions|R.M. Ballantyne
They could hear the sounds of several horses feeding and the barking of the dogs.
Dave Porter in the Far North|Edward Stratemeyer
They had pretended to divide him down the middle, so each one might have part of the wagging tail, and part of the barking head.
Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue at Camp Rest-A-While|Laura Lee Hope
Bubbs followed with the third bunt, while Crowfoot and Barking moved up.
Frank Merriwell's Son|Burt L. Standish

British Dictionary definitions for barking (1 of 4)

barking

/ (ˈbɑːkɪŋ) slang /

adjective

mad; crazy

adverb

(intensifier)barking mad

British Dictionary definitions for barking (2 of 4)

bark

/ (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 barking (3 of 4)

bark

/ (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 barking (4 of 4)

bark

/ (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

Science definitions for barking

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.

Idioms and Phrases with barking

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)