barked 1 of 2

past tense of bark
as in peeled
to remove the natural covering of barking a tree will probably kill it

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barked

2 of 2

verb (2)

past tense of bark
as in shouted
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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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 barked
Verb
The upstairs neighbors had two mastiffs who were left home all day and who barked incessantly and scratched at the floor of their kennel. Meghan O’Gieblyn, The New York Review of Books, 5 Sep. 2026 After the top of the ninth, Orioles reliever Cam Sanders barked at the Red Sox dugout, leading Ceddanne Rafaela and Jarren Duran to shout back from the top step, but nothing more transpired. Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2026 Mike Vrabel barked out instruction during a situational period working end-of-half plays, including one Hail Mary. Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 5 Aug. 2026 Her dog barked, and Vera went to say hello, scratching the mutt between the ears. Eric Boodman, STAT, 31 July 2026 When The Times knocked on the door of the home Yeager had hoped to rent — days after Yeager had been told the tenants would be moving out — a dog immediately barked. Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2026 Two hikers are facing charges after their off-leash dog repeatedly ran toward and barked at a grizzly bear during an encounter in Banff National Park. Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 26 July 2026 Outside, the guards were often genial and chatty; inside, visitors were treated as objects of suspicion, barked at and insulted. Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 13 July 2026 Days or weeks passed, but then the dog barked, the mail carrier tramped onto the porch, the mailbox clattered. Literary Hub, 13 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barked
Verb
  • Whether roasted until soft and caramelized, pureed or peeled in fresh veggie ribbons, September’s abundant harvest offers the ultimate bridge between late-summer sun and early-autumn comfort.
    Angela Hansberger, AJC.com, 6 Sep. 2026
  • While on the trail, keep your eyes peeled for wildlife your dog may be tempted to chase.
    Madeline Gunderson, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Sais said the men shouted homophobic and racist slurs before punching him, knocking him to the ground and leaving him with injuries to his face and head.
    Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 7 Sep. 2026
  • The man called the flight attendant, who is Black, a racial slur and also shouted anti-gay remarks, according to the outlet.
    Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • All lanes of Interstate 80 near Sierra College Boulevard in the Loomis area reopened Wednesday morning after a fiery crash shut down westbound traffic and snarled the morning commute.
    Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The ensuing traffic jam sent reverberations far and wide and snarled thousands of people.
    Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Mincey yelled out as the climb leveled out for the final time.
    Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 5 Sep. 2026
  • When the boy and his grandmother got into difficulty in the water, his siblings, ages 4 and 6, yelled to attract the attention of bystanders.
    Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 29 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Interviewees describe hacking little girls’ phones to see when their fathers came home and then bombing their houses, listening while the people on the line screamed and pleaded for help, while mothers cried over their burning daughters.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The crocodile, a female named Lalay, bit down on his arm and dragged him through the shallow water as onlookers screamed.
    Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Ethan Ampadu snapped into tackles, Noah Okafor had the beating of Ferdi Kadioglu and Dominic Calvert-Lewin was a menace with his physicality.
    Stuart James, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • By the museum’s front steps, in the shadow of the main building, Qassem Hassan Nasser leaned in close with a camera and snapped a high-resolution photo of a wooden artifact.
    Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Since then, Barkley has growled at several other people, and all but one have been diagnosed with some type of cancer, Dozier said.
    Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, 11 Aug. 2026
  • At the other end of our road, the cranes of the docks loomed — great Stothert and Pitt machines that growled overhead like something out of Star Wars, guarding the scale and mystery of the River Thames.
    Lee Clayton, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Barked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barked. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

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