barbed wire
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of barbed wire
First recorded in 1860–65
Compare meaning
How does barbed-wire compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
His custom designs range variously include the Miesha name, a half-lady ghost-butterfly, splattered imagery, quotes in cursive and barbed wire lettering.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026
Protesters clashed with private security guards on Saturday in the region after gathering to register their anger at newly installed barbed wire blocking access to the beach.
From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026
The group - consisting of about eight to ten tourists - reached the ground and made their way to the edge of the site, which was surrounded by a barbed wire fence.
From BBC • Apr. 25, 2026
By figuring out how to economically mass produce barbed wire, Glidden certainly solved a problem.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026
Men crawled out of their trenches to repair strands of barbed wire or to clear a path through the wire for a planned attack the next morning.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
