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
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

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
From the street, neighbor Sophia Windsor heard growling and barking and raced to the backyard to see the dog shaking the koala by the belly, then the koala grabbing the dog around the neck. Hilary Whiteman, CNN, 28 Sep. 2024 Dogs try other ways to enlist human assistance, too—mostly barking or nudging—but eye contact is the go-to device. Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 17 Sep. 2024
Noun
This could be through coughs, sneezes or barks that release airborne droplets and infect items like food or a water bowl, the American Kennel Club reports. Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 28 Sep. 2024 Indeed, wounding the bark produces a small amount of clear oleoresin, that has been used to reduce inflammation in human patients. Grrlscientist, Forbes, 27 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bark 

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 11 Oct. 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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