bark

1 of 5

verb (1)

barked; barking; barks

intransitive verb

1
a
: to make the characteristic short loud cry of a dog
b
: to make a noise resembling a bark
2
: to speak in a curt loud and usually angry tone : snap
3
informal : to produce a usually sharp, sudden pain
… at 36 and with his mustache turning gray and his body barking back in pain, Luis DeLeon is in spring training with the Cubs.Joseph A. Reaves
The shoulder is pain-free for now, but his elbow barks at him occasionally …Mike Lupica

transitive verb

1
: to utter in a curt loud usually angry tone
an officer barking orders
2
: to advertise by persistent outcry
barking their wares

bark

2 of 5

noun (1)

1
a
: the sound made by a barking dog
b
: a similar sound
2
: a short sharp peremptory tone of speech or utterance

bark

3 of 5

noun (2)

1
: the tough exterior covering of a woody root or stem
specifically : the tissues outside the cambium that include an inner layer especially of secondary phloem and an outer layer of periderm
2
3
: a candy containing chocolate and nuts that is made in a sheet and broken into pieces

bark

4 of 5

verb (2)

barked; barking; barks

transitive verb

1
: to treat with an infusion of tanbark
2
a
: to strip the bark from
b
: to rub off or abrade the skin of
barked a shin on the desk

bark

5 of 5

noun (3)

variants or barque
1
a
: a small sailing ship
b
: a sailing ship of three or more masts with the aftmost mast fore-and-aft rigged and the others square-rigged
2
: a craft propelled by sails or oars
Phrases
bark up the wrong tree
: to promote or follow a mistaken course (as in doing research)
someone's bark is worse than his/her bite
used to say that someone known for harsh or angry speech does not actually treat others in an unfairly harsh or harmful way
Chairman Paul Millership was larger than life and shouted his orders loud and clear. But his bark was worse than his bite and he was scrupulously fair to employees who put in the effort.The Nottingham Evening Post

Examples of bark in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Real officers break down a door, barking orders at a man asleep on a couch. Jake Offenhartz, Quartz, 8 Mar. 2024 The man puts his hands up, then covers his face as the officer barks commands while an alarm sounds in the background, the video shows. Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 7 Mar. 2024 Groundhogs like to be alone, and will hiss and bark to keep it that way While groundhogs males are known to fraternize with multiple mates per season, that’s about as social as the species is known to be. USA TODAY, 1 Feb. 2024 Simply the sound of a barking dog can cause a prowler to change his mind. Anne Kniggendorf, Kansas City Star, 31 Jan. 2024 Throughout the day Saturday, battles raged on behind the library, cannon fire echoed across the park, orders were barked as troops drilled. Heather McRea, Orange County Register, 2 Mar. 2024 In addition to showing off tricks like barking on command and sitting up on his hind legs, Messi was being asked to recreate his iconic playing dead scene from the movie. Jenelle Riley, Variety, 23 Feb. 2024 Therefore, regulate barking, menacing, damage to property or other ways in which dogs might harm the property or other residents. Kelly G. Richardson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Feb. 2024 Kessler said testimony from the family showed no one heard a sound — not Isabel screaming, or their dogs barking, or the lound screeching Isabel’s window made when opened. Sarah Lapidus, The Arizona Republic, 8 Feb. 2024
Noun
Dogs left alone by their owners often whine due to loneliness, howl and bark, disturbing the other tenants. Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024 The leaves and bark of the bamboo are hand-sculpted from yellow gold and painted by hand, while the baseplate is machined from black Onyx. Rebecca Suhrawardi, Robb Report, 7 Mar. 2024 And from 5 to 7 p.m., The Smoking Gun in the Gaslamp Quarter will serve a peanut butter old fashioned cocktail with Do-Si-Dos and a peppermint bark espresso martini with Thin Mints. Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Feb. 2024 One of those quick gift ideas is a dark or milk chocolate Grab N Go Bag ($24.95), a collection of strawberry gumdrops, M&M’s chocolate bark, nonpareils and a box of artisan chocolates wrapped in cellophane and tied with a satin ribbon. Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2024 Its trunk was six inches in diameter, stretched nearly ten feet tall and was made of fern-like vascular material instead of woody bark. Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Feb. 2024 Most diners judge a barbecue restaurant by the brisket, and on this day it was sliced thin, lean and showed a classic bark and smoke ring. Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Jan. 2024 Blackthorne barks at her in one of their increasingly intimate confrontations. Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 27 Feb. 2024 Their roster of 39 artists are known for eccentric practices that sometimes involve welding spacecrafts, transforming into a human disco ball and studying tree bark. Zachary Small, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bark.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English berken, from Old English beorcan; akin to Old Norse berkja to bark, Lithuanian burgėti to growl

Noun (2)

Middle English, from Old Norse bark-, bǫrkr; akin to Middle Dutch & Middle Low German borke bark

Noun (3)

Middle English, from Middle French barque, from Old Occitan barca, from Late Latin

First Known Use

Verb (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (3)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of bark was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near bark

Cite this Entry

“Bark.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bark. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

bark

1 of 5 verb
1
: to make the short loud cry of a dog or a similar noise
2
: to shout or speak sharply
bark out an order

bark

2 of 5 noun
: the sound made by a barking dog

bark

3 of 5 noun
: the tough covering of a woody root or stem

bark

4 of 5 verb
1
: to strip the bark from
2
: to rub or scrape the skin of
barked her knee

bark

5 of 5 noun
variants or barque
1
: a small sailing ship
2
: a three-masted ship with the first two masts square-rigged and the last fore-and-aft rigged
Etymology

Verb

Old English beorcan "to bark"

Noun

Middle English bark "tree covering," of Scandinavian origin

Noun

Middle English bark "a small ship," from early French barque (same meaning)

Medical Definition

bark

noun
1
: the tough exterior covering of a woody root or stem
2

More from Merriam-Webster on bark

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