as in insult
an act or expression showing scorn and usually intended to hurt another's feelings
delivered one last barb to his ex-girlfriend as he stalked away
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Recent Examples of barb
More to Read Trading barbs at debate, Gascón tries to cut into Hochman’s lead in L.A. County D.A.’s race
Oct. 9, 2024
Endorsement: Reelect Los Angeles County Dist.
—
James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2024
Harris, who declined an invitation to the Al Smith dinner to campaign in the battleground state of Wisconsin, delivered milder barbs at Trump in a brief video presentation.
—Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 18 Oct. 2024
In the segment, Maher invoked a host of Islamophobic tropes, made a joke about exploding pagers in Lebanon, and threw in an anti-trans barb for good measure.
—Mathew Rodriguez, Them, 15 Oct. 2024
The scene has Chase catching Berle flirting with Chase’s fiancé (played by Kaia Gerber), and the two men begin to volley barbs back and forth at each other.
—Rosemary Rossi, Variety, 11 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for barb 
James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2024
Harris, who declined an invitation to the Al Smith dinner to campaign in the battleground state of Wisconsin, delivered milder barbs at Trump in a brief video presentation.
—Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 18 Oct. 2024
In the segment, Maher invoked a host of Islamophobic tropes, made a joke about exploding pagers in Lebanon, and threw in an anti-trans barb for good measure.
—Mathew Rodriguez, Them, 15 Oct. 2024
The scene has Chase catching Berle flirting with Chase’s fiancé (played by Kaia Gerber), and the two men begin to volley barbs back and forth at each other.
—Rosemary Rossi, Variety, 11 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for barb
Thesaurus Entries Near barb
Cite this Entry
“Barb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barb. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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