as in insults
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 barbs
The responses via social media, which ranged from sheer laughter to expletive-laden barbs, ultimately showcased just how much damage Patullo did to the psyche of Eagles fans across the country.
—
Miami Herald, 14 May 2026
The president’s latest barbs came just days before Secretary of State Marco Rubio traveled to the Vatican for a fence-mending visit.
—Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2026
The two have smacked each other around in the weeks since and traded barbs over their places within the company.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 9 May 2026
Harris’s film, though, trades brainy barbs for some pretty vicious violence as a set of twins, badly scarred from a childhood fire, go on a journey to confront the root of their trauma.
—Juan A. Ramírez, Vogue, 8 May 2026
The two candidates also traded barbs about Raman’s late entry into the race, and the fact that the two were at one point political allies.
—Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026
The camaraderie expressed Thursday was a far cry from the barbs the two officials exchanged just more than a year ago, when Clark, at City Council hearing, blasted Tisch over the NYPD’s crackdown on the homeless and those accused of misdemeanor crimes.
—Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 30 Apr. 2026
Musk’s lawsuit against Altman is the culmination of a yearslong feud that has sometimes led the two former associates to trade public barbs online.
—Shanshan Dong, NBC news, 30 Apr. 2026
DeSantis and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have traded barbs in recent days over the issue.
—The Hill Staff, The Hill, 28 Apr. 2026
Miami Herald, 14 May 2026
The president’s latest barbs came just days before Secretary of State Marco Rubio traveled to the Vatican for a fence-mending visit.
—Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2026
The two have smacked each other around in the weeks since and traded barbs over their places within the company.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 9 May 2026
Harris’s film, though, trades brainy barbs for some pretty vicious violence as a set of twins, badly scarred from a childhood fire, go on a journey to confront the root of their trauma.
—Juan A. Ramírez, Vogue, 8 May 2026
The two candidates also traded barbs about Raman’s late entry into the race, and the fact that the two were at one point political allies.
—Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026
The camaraderie expressed Thursday was a far cry from the barbs the two officials exchanged just more than a year ago, when Clark, at City Council hearing, blasted Tisch over the NYPD’s crackdown on the homeless and those accused of misdemeanor crimes.
—Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 30 Apr. 2026
Musk’s lawsuit against Altman is the culmination of a yearslong feud that has sometimes led the two former associates to trade public barbs online.
—Shanshan Dong, NBC news, 30 Apr. 2026
DeSantis and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have traded barbs in recent days over the issue.
—The Hill Staff, The Hill, 28 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barbs
Noun
-
But between rapid-fire questions and candidates hurling insults or talking over one another, the chaotic nature of some debate moments did little to help undecided voters make up their minds about their preferred candidate, some political observers said.—
Linh Tat,
Daily News,
14 May 2026
-
Sometimes, there’s no better way to pay tribute to a dear friend than by lambasting them with insults.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Barbs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barbs. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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