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
Gayle nearly always has a nasty comment or barb and picks someone to fight with at every family gathering.
—
Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 9 June 2025
The barbs are the latest chapter in a long-running, often personal feud between Trump and Newsom, who have clashed repeatedly over everything from the governor’s response to recent wildfires to water policy to California’s high-speed rail.
—Nik Popli, Time, 9 June 2025
What seemed like a tight friendship and amicable working relationship between President Donald Trump and tech mogul Elon Musk came to a spectacular end this week, with the duo exchanging heated barbs in an all-out social media war that kicked off June 5.
—Charles Trepany, USA Today, 7 June 2025
The rebound of Tesla’s stock comes less than 24 hours after the shares of the prominent EV company plunged as Trump and Musk traded barbs in a public feud that appeared to severely strain the relationship between the world’s richest man and the world’s most powerful leader.
—Filip Timotija, The Hill, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for barb
Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 9 June 2025
The barbs are the latest chapter in a long-running, often personal feud between Trump and Newsom, who have clashed repeatedly over everything from the governor’s response to recent wildfires to water policy to California’s high-speed rail.
—Nik Popli, Time, 9 June 2025
What seemed like a tight friendship and amicable working relationship between President Donald Trump and tech mogul Elon Musk came to a spectacular end this week, with the duo exchanging heated barbs in an all-out social media war that kicked off June 5.
—Charles Trepany, USA Today, 7 June 2025
The rebound of Tesla’s stock comes less than 24 hours after the shares of the prominent EV company plunged as Trump and Musk traded barbs in a public feud that appeared to severely strain the relationship between the world’s richest man and the world’s most powerful leader.
—Filip Timotija, The Hill, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for barb
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barb
Noun
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Under it, anyone who defames, insults or threatens the King, Queen, heir apparent, or regent faces three to 15 years in prison.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
26 June 2025
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In the video, Songz is seen locked in a tense exchange with an unidentified man, with both hurling insults and threats in an escalating war of words.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
25 June 2025
Noun
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Fans in the comments applauded Carpenter’s use of sarcasm to indirectly address the hoopla.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
26 June 2025
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There’s always a little colored sarcasm in our music, there’s a little tongue-in-cheek, but then there is always some really deep meaningful subject matter on our records, too.—
Maya Georgi,
Rolling Stone,
25 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Barb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barb. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.
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