bark 1 of 3

verb (1)

Definition of barknext
as in to peel
to remove the natural covering of barking a tree will probably kill it

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bark

2 of 3

verb (2)

ˈbärk How to pronounce bark (audio)
as in to snarl
to speak sharply or irritably the new supervisor found that speaking to people with a civil tongue got better results than barking at them

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

bark

3 of 3

noun

as in ship
a boat equipped with one or more sails took a small bark out on the lake

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bark
Verb
During the third quarter of the Indiana Fever's 113-90 win over the Sky at Wintrust Arena, Cloud began barking at Freedom, who was sitting courtside. — Ryan Canfield Outkick, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026 Rather than having dog kennels lined up across from each other like in traditional shelters, the New Leash on Life design will have kennels on one side facing a hallway to reduce barking and stress. — Anna Ortiz, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026
Noun
Covering exposed roots with soil can harm your tree by causing bark to rot and compromising its stability. — Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 31 Aug. 2026 Avoid wounding the bark because any wound provides an entry point for the Seiridium fungus, which can’t be controlled with chemicals. — Steve Bender, Southern Living, 29 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bark
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bark
  1. snarl
  2. ship
  3. shout
  4. schooner
  5. yell
  6. frigate
  7. scream
  8. sloop
Verb
  • The hourslong closure snarled the morning commute into Sacramento, shutting down westbound Highway 50 between Hazel Avenue and Sunrise Boulevard.
    — Daniel Hunt, Sacbee.com, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Photographs from the scene show crunched cars snarled in chunks of the wire fence that used to separate the airport from the road.
    — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of snarl
Noun
  • Replacing large commercial vessels with alternative-fuel ships can require years of planning and significant capital.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Vance blames high gas prices on Iran attacking commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz but has no timeline for when that could end.
    — Bart Jansen, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of ship
Verb
  • This is good news for us end and footnotes fans (shout out to David Foster Wallace, Nicholson Baker, and the Folger editions of Shakespeare).
    — James Folta, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2026
  • In one shot, a beardless Jason is in the center of a teammate huddle, seemingly shouting at the top of his lungs.
    — Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of shout
Noun
  • Harry Kane’s schooner sails well wide of all that poofterish fluff with buckles and straps.
    — Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Set in Massachusetts in 1858, the novel tells the story of a 15-year-old boy who gets trapped aboard a schooner as it gets hijacked.
    — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of schooner
Verb
  • Yet tackling noise issues is challenging in part because the sources vary — think traffic on a busy street in Manhattan versus yelling in a neighboring room.
    — Jeanne Bonner, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The officer points a flashlight inside the back window, yells toward another officer nearby, then gets on his radio.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of yell
Noun
  • Taiwan’s destroyers and frigates, many of which are based on 50-year-old American designs, are well understood and therefore institutionally safe choices.
    — HOLMES LIAO, Foreign Affairs, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The frigate also carried out replenishment exercises at sea, helicopter take-off and landing drills and damage-control training designed to prepare its crew for emergencies during combat.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of frigate
Verb
  • There's a 50% chance the drivers in this photo are screaming.
    — AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Baltimore is an even 69-69 after Cowser’s heroics, and though that record doesn’t usually scream postseason bound at this time of year, the American League hasn’t been as strong as years past.
    — Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of scream
Noun
  • Sailing aboard a 30-foot sloop on Acapulco Bay, Henry Kissinger kept a protective arm around his new wife, as a motorboat filled with the press corps followed.
    — Robert D. Mcfadden, Chicago Tribune, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Just two days after the Hannah was underway, her crew captured the Unity, a sloop loaded with naval stores and lumber, supplies sorely needed by British forces in Boston.
    — Christopher Magra, The Conversation, 2 June 2026
Definition of sloop

Browse Nearby Words

baring
bark
barked
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Cite this Entry

“Bark.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bark. Accessed 9 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on bark

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about bark

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