barbed wire

American  

noun

1. a wire or strand of wires having small pieces of sharply pointed wire twisted around it at short intervals, used chiefly for fencing in livestock, keeping out trespassers, etc.

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barbed wire British  

noun

1. Also called (US): barbwire.  strong wire with sharply pointed barbs at close intervals

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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:

• razor wire vs. barbed wire

Example Sentences

Four spent their military service stationed near the heavily fortified inter-Korean border, known for barbed wire, harsh winters and intense training.

From Barron's

We marched along a path between twisted rolls of barbed wire and through a wide gate into a compound of low tin-roofed barracks.

From Literature

And I hated living behind barbed wire, unable to go where I wanted, do what I wanted.

From Literature

But which in the war, in the French terminology of the war, meant “barbed wire.”

From Literature

In Jhapa, soldiers with armoured trucks manned barbed wire barricades around the counting centre.

From Barron's

Related Words

• fence
• fencing