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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of barb
And Harvey Gough is no longer slinging burgers and barbs from behind the counter.
—
Evan Grant, Dallas Morning News, 25 Feb. 2026
This columnist grew up there too and still calls the Inland Empire home, and those barbs do not and will not go unchallenged.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 25 Feb. 2026
And in Season 11, before the game even started, castaways hiked 11 miles through the Guatemalan jungle—a 24-hour trek in 100-degree heat that resulted in one collapse, one biceps tear, one vomiting spell, and one puncture wound from a poisonous tree barb.
—Kristen Geil, Outside, 24 Feb. 2026
Public details of the negotiations have been minimal, but both sides have traded barbs over the impasse.
—Julia Manchester, The Hill, 18 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for barb
Evan Grant, Dallas Morning News, 25 Feb. 2026
This columnist grew up there too and still calls the Inland Empire home, and those barbs do not and will not go unchallenged.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 25 Feb. 2026
And in Season 11, before the game even started, castaways hiked 11 miles through the Guatemalan jungle—a 24-hour trek in 100-degree heat that resulted in one collapse, one biceps tear, one vomiting spell, and one puncture wound from a poisonous tree barb.
—Kristen Geil, Outside, 24 Feb. 2026
Public details of the negotiations have been minimal, but both sides have traded barbs over the impasse.
—Julia Manchester, The Hill, 18 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for barb
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barb
Noun
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Recovery has scarcely begun, but insult is being added to fire victims’ injuries as local officials — especially Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass — engage in a tawdry game of finger-pointing.—
Dan Walters,
Oc Register,
4 Mar. 2026
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The last of these, which would have been an insult in previous eras, is part of the Buttigieg value proposition.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
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First seen at a night-club table of menacing lowlifes, Ida, whose mother tongue is Brooklynese, suddenly switches to a heavy British accent and dispenses a torrent of highly literary sarcasms.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
4 Mar. 2026
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Montgomery took to social media to respond to the ESPN report, employing a fair bit of sarcasm in doing so.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Barb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barb. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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