as in shouting
to speak sharply or irritably
the new supervisor found that speaking to people with a civil tongue got better results than barking at them
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of barking
Kansas City Star, 8 Mar. 2026
Four players were booked, a Charlotte FC goal was controversially disallowed and Estévez spent a solid portion of his evening barking at the fourth official.
—David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 7 Mar. 2026
The minute Monica sits down and starts barking orders in the ER, everyone feels much better.
—Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Her dog then started barking like crazy.
—Eva Andersen, CBS News, 4 Mar. 2026
Before moving to the two-story structure’s exterior stairs, SWAT officers encountered two barking dogs.
—Chase Rogers, Dallas Morning News, 23 Feb. 2026
Out in the full glare of the riverbank dogs were barking, clothes were drying on the ghat, little boys were playing with marbles, running about with strings, beating along old bicycle tyres with sticks.
—Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026
Nothing flusters her except dogs barking, and as the story unfolds the reason is easily surmised.
—Mary Damiano, Miami Herald, 16 Feb. 2026
Leichman is excited to see what the right-hander can do when his back is not seizing up and his shoulder’s not barking.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 12 Feb. 2026
Verb
So how did Council possibly talk Self into barking after the Jayhawks improved to 22-9 overall and 12-6 in Big 12 play?
—Kansas City Star, 8 Mar. 2026
Four players were booked, a Charlotte FC goal was controversially disallowed and Estévez spent a solid portion of his evening barking at the fourth official.
—David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 7 Mar. 2026
The minute Monica sits down and starts barking orders in the ER, everyone feels much better.
—Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Her dog then started barking like crazy.
—Eva Andersen, CBS News, 4 Mar. 2026
Before moving to the two-story structure’s exterior stairs, SWAT officers encountered two barking dogs.
—Chase Rogers, Dallas Morning News, 23 Feb. 2026
Out in the full glare of the riverbank dogs were barking, clothes were drying on the ghat, little boys were playing with marbles, running about with strings, beating along old bicycle tyres with sticks.
—Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026
Nothing flusters her except dogs barking, and as the story unfolds the reason is easily surmised.
—Mary Damiano, Miami Herald, 16 Feb. 2026
Leichman is excited to see what the right-hander can do when his back is not seizing up and his shoulder’s not barking.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 12 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Barking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barking. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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