1
: a medieval cloth headdress passing over or under the chin and covering the neck
2
a
: a sharp projection extending backward (as from the point of an arrow or fishhook) and preventing easy extraction
also
: a sharp projection with its point similarly oblique to something else
b
: a biting or pointedly critical remark or comment
3
4
: any of the side branches of the shaft of a feather see feather illustration
5
: a plant hair or bristle ending in a hook
: any of a northern African breed of horses that are noted for speed and endurance
slang
Synonyms
Examples of barb in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
William Earl, Variety, 25 Feb. 2024
For most of the spring, supporters and opponents traded economic studies, ads and barbs.
—The Arizona Republic, 7 Jan. 2024
Kristen Stewart recently pulled on a Bike jockstrap for the cover of Rolling Stone, earning barbs from some conservatives.
—Leanne Italie, Quartz, 7 Mar. 2024
Valle has long tried to work out a fight with Estrada and the two have exchanged barbs.
—José M. Romero, The Arizona Republic, 31 Jan. 2024
Advertisement On the other side of the Atlantic, near Gambia, a worker from Senegal on a Chinese trawler called the Victory 205 said he had been pricked by a catfish barb while wearing flip-flops.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2023
Damon and Kimmel have repeatedly traded barbs back and forth in the nearly two decades since that original joke.
—Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024
Tension between the families has risen, and in January, the two presidents publicly traded barbs, accusing one another of being addicted to drugs.
—Regine Cabato, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024
The two have exchanged barbs in mailers, with Holden suggesting that Barger supports Donald Trump, a claim Barger has denied.
—Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Eventually two more whole points and fragments of five others turned up, all of them elaborately barbed and polished.
—James Shreeve, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019
Her name is Cleve, and she is played by an exceptional Clare Perkins, whose delivery is barbed and steely.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
That’s okay when a lively minnow is barbed through the lips or nostrils, but when fishing cover, baits often pull off quickly.
—Bob McNally, Field & Stream, 20 Mar. 2023
Noun
The barbs came during a sketch taking aim at the controversial decision by the Alabama Supreme Court this week that now considers frozen embryos created during in vitro fertilization to be children.
—William Earl, Variety, 25 Feb. 2024
For most of the spring, supporters and opponents traded economic studies, ads and barbs.
—The Arizona Republic, 7 Jan. 2024
Kristen Stewart recently pulled on a Bike jockstrap for the cover of Rolling Stone, earning barbs from some conservatives.
—Leanne Italie, Quartz, 7 Mar. 2024
Valle has long tried to work out a fight with Estrada and the two have exchanged barbs.
—José M. Romero, The Arizona Republic, 31 Jan. 2024
Advertisement On the other side of the Atlantic, near Gambia, a worker from Senegal on a Chinese trawler called the Victory 205 said he had been pricked by a catfish barb while wearing flip-flops.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2023
Damon and Kimmel have repeatedly traded barbs back and forth in the nearly two decades since that original joke.
—Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024
Tension between the families has risen, and in January, the two presidents publicly traded barbs, accusing one another of being addicted to drugs.
—Regine Cabato, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024
The two have exchanged barbs in mailers, with Holden suggesting that Barger supports Donald Trump, a claim Barger has denied.
—Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024
Verb
Hammel is an appealing screen presence, tossing off inappropriate remarks with blithe abandon and making Karla the sort of friend who’s both endearing and exasperating — her affection often barbed and her opportunism unapologetic.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Eventually two more whole points and fragments of five others turned up, all of them elaborately barbed and polished.
—James Shreeve, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019
Her name is Cleve, and she is played by an exceptional Clare Perkins, whose delivery is barbed and steely.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
That’s okay when a lively minnow is barbed through the lips or nostrils, but when fishing cover, baits often pull off quickly.
—Bob McNally, Field & Stream, 20 Mar. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'barb.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near barb
Cite this Entry
“Barb.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/barb. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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barb
noun
slang
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