What does "barb" mean?
The point that stands backward in an arrow, fishhook, etc., to prevent it from being easily extracted. Hence: Anything which stands out with a sharp point obliquely or crosswise to something else.
Barb
/bɑː(ɹ)b/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The point that stands backward in an arrow, fishhook, etc., to prevent it from being easily extracted. Hence: Anything which stands out with a sharp point obliquely or crosswise to something else.
- Grammar: barb is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: dig, gibe, affix, affront.
- Useful contrasts: blunt edge, compliment, detach.
- Usage evidence: The barb on fishhooks make them difficult to remove.
How to use "barb"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "barb" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "barb" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "barb" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "barb" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
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- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "barb" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "dig" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "barb", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The point that stands backward in an arrow, fishhook, etc., to prevent it from being easily extracted. Hence: Anything which stands out with a sharp point obliquely or crosswise to something else.
"Having two barbs or points."
- 2 The Barbary horse, a superior breed introduced from Barbary into Spain by the Moors.
"Why sends not the Bridegroom his promised gift, / Is his heart more cold, or his barb less swift?"
- 3 A barbiturate. informal
"The benzos, it turns out, are just as highly addicting as the barbs, but they do have a much lower potential to cause death by overdose. […] The barbs became one of the most widely abused classes of drugs in the 1960s and 1970s."
- 4 Armor for a horse.
"The defensive armor with the horses of the ancient knights ... These are frequently, though improperly, stiled barbs."
- 5 A fan of American rapper and singer Nicki Minaj. slang
"Minaj is thrilled to be returning to her legion of Aussie Barbz this October in a brand new full-scale arena show."
Show 15 more definitions
- 6 one of the parallel filaments projecting from the main shaft of a feather wordnet
- 7 A hurtful or disparaging remark. figuratively
"to trade barbs"
- 8 A blackish or dun variety of pigeon, originally brought from Barbary.
- 9 a subsidiary point facing opposite from the main point that makes an arrowhead or spear hard to remove wordnet
- 10 A beard, or that which resembles it, or grows in the place of it.
"The barbel is so called […]by reason of his barbs, or wattles at his mouth."
- 11 the pointed part of barbed wire wordnet
- 12 One of the many side branches of a feather, which collectively constitute the vane.
- 13 an aggressive remark directed at a person like a missile and intended to have a telling effect wordnet
- 14 Any of various species of freshwater carp-like fish that have barbels and belong to the cyprinid family.
- 15 The sciaenid fish Menticirrhus americanus, found along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the United States. US
- 16 A hair or bristle ending in a double hook.
- 17 A muffler, worn by nuns and mourners. obsolete
- 18 Paps, or little projections, of the mucous membrane, which mark the opening of the submaxillary glands under the tongue in horses and cattle. The name is mostly applied when the barbs are inflamed and swollen.
- 19 A bit for a horse. obsolete
"His loftie steed with golden sell And goodly gorgeous barbes."
- 20 A plastic fastener, shaped roughly like a capital I (with serifs), used to attach socks etc. to their packaging.
Verb
- 1 To furnish with barbs, or with that which will hold or hurt like barbs, as an arrow, fishhook, spear, etc.
"[…] for this day will pour down, / If I conjecture aught, no drizzling shower, / But rattling storm of arrows barbed with fire."
- 2 To cover a horse in armor.
"And now, in stead of mounting barbed steeds / To fright the souls of fearful adversaries, / He capers nimbly in a lady's chamber[…]."
- 3 provide with barbs wordnet
- 4 To cut (hair). Nigeria
- 5 To shave or dress the beard of. obsolete
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To clip; to mow. obsolete
"O thou pale ſober night, / […] / The ſtooping Sitheman that dooth barbe the field, / Thou makſt winke ſure: […]"
Proper Noun
- 1 A diminutive of the female given name Barbara.
- 2 A surname.
Antonyms
Example
"The barb on fishhooks make them difficult to remove."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "barb"?
Common synonyms include: dig, gibe, affix, affront, alcohol, amobarbital sodium.
How do you use "barb" in a sentence?
The barb on fishhooks make them difficult to remove.
How do you pronounce "barb"?
Pronounced /bɑː(ɹ)b/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
PIE word *bʰardʰéh₂ From Middle English barbe, from Middle French barbe, from Old French barbe (“beard, beard-like element”). Doublet of beard.
Etymology 2
Clipping of Barbary.
Etymology 3
Clipping of barbiturate.
Etymology 4
Corruption of bard.
Etymology 5
Clipping of Barbie, from Harajuku Barbie, an alter-ego of Nicki Minaj.