bark

1 of 5

verb (1)

ˈbärk 

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

… with his mustache turning gray and his body barking back in pain …

—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

see also bark up the wrong tree

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

see also someone's bark is worse than his/her bite

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

: cinchona sense 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

ˈbärk 

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

Synonyms of bark

Verb (1)

• snarl
• shout
• yell
• scream
• growl
• snap

Verb (2)

• peel

Noun (3)

• ship
• schooner
• frigate
• sloop
• yacht
• dinghy

Examples of bark in a Sentence

Verb (1)

the new supervisor found that speaking to people with a civil tongue got better results than barking at them

Verb (2)

barking a tree will probably kill it

Noun (3)

took a small bark out on the lake

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Joe Musgrove underwent Tommy John surgery before the season started and Yu Darvish’s elbow was barking in spring training. —Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Feb. 2026

Charles’ pack of dogs incessantly barked blood curdling screams. —Scott Haugen, Outdoor Life, 4 Feb. 2026

Noun

If the color of the inner bark is yellow or light green, then the plant can still be helped. —Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 10 Feb. 2026

Available online, this generously sized Valentine’s Day gift basket is overflowing with caramel apples and confections, including chocolate and caramel pretzel rods, white chocolate mini pretzel twists, assorted caramels, and milk chocolate raspberry bark. —Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 9 Feb. 2026

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

Phrases Containing bark

• bark beetle
• elm bark beetle
• smaller European elm bark beetle
• someone's bark is worse than his/her bite
• someone's bark is worse than their bite

Rhymes for bark

• arc
• ark
• barque
• dark
• hark
• lark
• marc
• mark
• marque
• narc
• quark
• shark

Kids Definition

bark

1 of 5 verb

ˈbärk 

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

ˈbärk 

1

: the tough exterior covering of a woody root or stem

2

: cinchona sense 3