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
Noun (1)
delivered one last barb to his ex-girlfriend as he stalked away
Recent Examples on the Web
Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY, 6 Nov. 2024
Although not as volatile as the race in the neighboring 45th district, the two candidates traded barbs all cycle, each trying to link the other to unpopular politicians from their respective parties.
—Hanna Kang, Orange County Register, 5 Nov. 2024
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2024
The landscape around it lay newly barbed with cannon, mortars, and bombproof shelters, these installed by hundreds of captive workers whose labor was donated by their Charleston owners.
—CBS News, 26 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for barb 
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Noun
Trump and Harris traded harsh and personal barbs at one other up until the closing days.
—Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY, 6 Nov. 2024
Although not as volatile as the race in the neighboring 45th district, the two candidates traded barbs all cycle, each trying to link the other to unpopular politicians from their respective parties.
—Hanna Kang, Orange County Register, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
Every accommodating smile feels barbed, every curtsy an attack, every look of serene placidity a mask.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2024
The landscape around it lay newly barbed with cannon, mortars, and bombproof shelters, these installed by hundreds of captive workers whose labor was donated by their Charleston owners.
—CBS News, 26 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for barb
Dictionary Entries Near barb
Cite this Entry
“Barb.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/barb. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.
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barb
noun
slang
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