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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of barking
Brandon Downs, CBS News, 10 June 2026
Fans and players on both sides started barking, resulting in a social media frenzy.
—Molly Keshin, New York Times, 3 June 2026
Instead, the party carries all the threat of a barking lap dog.
—Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 3 June 2026
Command and control → Collaborate to find success The era of the all-knowing boss barking orders from on high is over.
—Maria Ross, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Swaggering and barking commands like a boy came so naturally that being her real female self began to feel like the more challenging role.
—Jonathan Franzen, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Interesting that the aficionados of barking at people to do as they’re told don’t respond well to being subjected to the same treatment.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 22 May 2026
Sometimes, a barking dog may deter a bear.
—Eva Flowe
may 20, Charlotte Observer, 20 May 2026
Once again, the bond traders are barking.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 20 May 2026
Verb
Early Monday morning, a woman in the Old Mammoth area heard her dogs barking outside of her home and soon discovered a roughly 70-pound, 17-month-old black bear fighting a dog.
—Brandon Downs, CBS News, 10 June 2026
Fans and players on both sides started barking, resulting in a social media frenzy.
—Molly Keshin, New York Times, 3 June 2026
Instead, the party carries all the threat of a barking lap dog.
—Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 3 June 2026
Command and control → Collaborate to find success The era of the all-knowing boss barking orders from on high is over.
—Maria Ross, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Swaggering and barking commands like a boy came so naturally that being her real female self began to feel like the more challenging role.
—Jonathan Franzen, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Interesting that the aficionados of barking at people to do as they’re told don’t respond well to being subjected to the same treatment.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 22 May 2026
Sometimes, a barking dog may deter a bear.
—Eva Flowe
may 20, Charlotte Observer, 20 May 2026
Once again, the bond traders are barking.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 20 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barking
Verb
-
In 2019, when Cattelan unveiled the work at the Art Basel Miami art fair in Florida, performance artist David Datuna grabbed the banana from the wall, before peeling and eating it in front of hundreds of stunned fair attendees.—
Jack Guy,
CNN Money,
3 June 2026
-
Scratches, chips and peeling mean the coating is wearing down.—
Ryan Brennan
June 2,
Sacbee.com,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
People shouting out stuff like, 'Guilty!—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
10 June 2026
-
As Bell was speaking to the defense, Brown began shouting, asking if the judge needed a copy of a statement from him.—
Andy Buck,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Ukrainian drones now pummel industrial targets across Russia nightly, shutting down oil refineries, snarling logistics, and forcing airports to close for days at a time.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
6 June 2026
-
Laurie plays the snarling, villainous Richard Roper in the BBC and Prime Video’s big-budget adaptation of le Carré’s The Night Manager.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
People throwing cigarette butts against the house, yelling obscenities, playing derogatory music.—
Madeleine Wright,
CBS News,
8 June 2026
-
Luck was on our side that day, no one was out yelling at us for being such crappy golfers.—
Joe Kinsey OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
As if each of us isn’t a walking embodiment of our moment, clueless and attuned at once, screaming about one thing and in total denial about another.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
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There were the arrests of tearful and screaming immigrants, captured on video and played on endless loops across social media.—
Moriah Balingit,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
The big question is whether people who pay hundreds of thousands of euros for growling gas-guzzlers will also shell out for electric versions.—
Neil Winton,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
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Or any of the Republican gym bros peddling supplements online and growling lifestyle advice into webcams.—
Rachel Marsden,
Hartford Courant,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Barking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barking. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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