as in insults
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of barbs
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
DeSantis has been in touch with Biden but has avoided appearing in his state with the president and engaged in a spat with Vice President Kamala Harris over their lack of communication, trading barbs of politicizing the crisis.
—Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 10 Oct. 2024
Despite the protestations and barbs from Edwards, Nono does objectively fine work on his hair.
—Sean Gregory, TIME, 9 Oct. 2024
Rosemary Rossi, Variety, 11 Oct. 2024
DeSantis has been in touch with Biden but has avoided appearing in his state with the president and engaged in a spat with Vice President Kamala Harris over their lack of communication, trading barbs of politicizing the crisis.
—Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 10 Oct. 2024
Despite the protestations and barbs from Edwards, Nono does objectively fine work on his hair.
—Sean Gregory, TIME, 9 Oct. 2024
Articles Related to barbs
Thesaurus Entries Near barbs
Cite this Entry
“Barbs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barbs. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share