as in ships
a boat equipped with one or more sails
took a small bark out on the lake
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in shouts
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 barks
Literary Hub, 12 May 2026
Foxes use a variety of calls, including barks, howls, yaps, and growls.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 16 Apr. 2026
And while humans can often discern animal distress calls or differentiate dog barks, many animal noises may seem inconsequential to the untrained human ear.
—Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 19 Mar. 2026
One hums with high-speed drills and anxiety; the other echoes with joyful barks and tail wags.
—Henry I. Miller, STAT, 28 Jan. 2026
On our third day, a late-afternoon beach landing on Sante Fe deposited us amid a colony of sleeping sea lions, their barks and coughs reverberating across the sandy shore.
—Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 26 Jan. 2026
That Doberman, the two black Labradors and a standard poodle better watch out for the two Chihuahuas, their barks say.
—Nicole Villalpando, Austin American Statesman, 23 Dec. 2025
The duo jumped and screamed in celebration, with their dogs joining the fun with a few barks and squeals.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 15 Dec. 2025
Two holiday barks sold at Aldi have been recalled nationwide.
—Jenna Anderson, Health, 1 Dec. 2025
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 20 May 2026
Much like a dog that barks at every little noise and passerby, my skin is reactive.
—Devon Abelman, Allure, 24 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, the same neighbor’s dog barks at all hours, day and night, and a large shoe rack sits outside her door — an eyesore and a fire code violation.
—Judith Martin, Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2026
The scolding was met with more meows and barks.
—Clara McMichael, ABC News, 15 Apr. 2026
The pup barks excitedly before the door swings open and Koch drops to her knees to receive kisses and greetings.
—Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 14 Apr. 2026
Sadie excitedly barks before the door opens and Koch drops to her knees to receive kisses and greetings from the pup.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2026
Heck, even our beloved pup, Dale, barks whenever a squirrel’s hiding in the networking hardware!
—Jed Feiman, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
On these tracks Slayyyter uses her voice as a much blunter instrument than before, paring back the melisma and amping up the chants, barks, and outright screams.
—Harry Tafoya, Pitchfork, 2 Apr. 2026
Noun
Caspar David Friedrich has sketchbooks of particular branches, twigs, barks of different trees.
—Literary Hub, 12 May 2026
Foxes use a variety of calls, including barks, howls, yaps, and growls.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 16 Apr. 2026
And while humans can often discern animal distress calls or differentiate dog barks, many animal noises may seem inconsequential to the untrained human ear.
—Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 19 Mar. 2026
One hums with high-speed drills and anxiety; the other echoes with joyful barks and tail wags.
—Henry I. Miller, STAT, 28 Jan. 2026
On our third day, a late-afternoon beach landing on Sante Fe deposited us amid a colony of sleeping sea lions, their barks and coughs reverberating across the sandy shore.
—Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 26 Jan. 2026
That Doberman, the two black Labradors and a standard poodle better watch out for the two Chihuahuas, their barks say.
—Nicole Villalpando, Austin American Statesman, 23 Dec. 2025
The duo jumped and screamed in celebration, with their dogs joining the fun with a few barks and squeals.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 15 Dec. 2025
Two holiday barks sold at Aldi have been recalled nationwide.
—Jenna Anderson, Health, 1 Dec. 2025
Verb
Mac barks at Andi as the two of them drive home.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 20 May 2026
Much like a dog that barks at every little noise and passerby, my skin is reactive.
—Devon Abelman, Allure, 24 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, the same neighbor’s dog barks at all hours, day and night, and a large shoe rack sits outside her door — an eyesore and a fire code violation.
—Judith Martin, Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2026
The scolding was met with more meows and barks.
—Clara McMichael, ABC News, 15 Apr. 2026
The pup barks excitedly before the door swings open and Koch drops to her knees to receive kisses and greetings.
—Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 14 Apr. 2026
Sadie excitedly barks before the door opens and Koch drops to her knees to receive kisses and greetings from the pup.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 14 Apr. 2026
Heck, even our beloved pup, Dale, barks whenever a squirrel’s hiding in the networking hardware!
—Jed Feiman, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
On these tracks Slayyyter uses her voice as a much blunter instrument than before, paring back the melisma and amping up the chants, barks, and outright screams.
—Harry Tafoya, Pitchfork, 2 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barks
Noun
-
And the incident was one of four mechanical problems with the LCS fleet in a year, staining the reputation of the ships’ reliability.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
-
Some 150 to 200 cable faults happen every year, with 70 to 80 percent of them arising from accidents involving fishing equipment and ships’ anchors, according to the International Cable Protection Committee.—
Ramin Skibba,
Scientific American,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
Blending sharp humor, irreverent games and unexpected twists, each episode peels back the polished layers of today’s most talked about talent to reveal the human behind the fame… and no topic is off-limits.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
13 May 2026
-
Each new burst of observation, each refined model, peels back another layer, showing us just how dynamic and surprising the life of a star can be.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
So shouts an unnamed (and slightly out-of-focus) soldier just as the helicopters land in the central battle sequence in Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 May 2026
-
There have been sometimes somebody shouts in protests.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Nobody screams or yells; the Marsies just fire back, and M-6 troops continue to fire in response.—
Sophie Brookover,
Vulture,
22 May 2026
-
Knives are clutched, teeth are clenched, and a desperate Russian ex-pat yells loud enough for their long-dead ancestors to hear all the way back in the motherland.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
13 May 2026
Noun
-
Guests book by cabin rather than chartering the entire vessel, while still experiencing the intimacy and flexibility typically associated with smaller private yachts.—
Rachel Ingram,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
-
Boats and yachts greater than 30 feet can stay in a marina or tie off in a canal.—
Orlando Sentinel Staff,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 May 2026
Verb
-
Security snarls The TSA PreCheck line at terminal B in LaGuardia Airport in East Elmhurst, Queens, New York City, on March 27, 2026.—
Leslie Josephs,
CNBC,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Beyond the red tape that snarls any new apartment, condominiums confront an additional hurdle.—
M. Nolan Gray,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The Navy could eventually field 50 to 65 of the new frigates, according to Naval News.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
-
Cuba no longer maintains a meaningful blue-water navy, modern frigates or an operational submarine fleet comparable to Cold War levels.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Griffith growls Griffith could be in position to win its first Greater South Shore Conference title since 2018.—
Michael Osipoff,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
-
Foxes use a variety of calls, including barks, howls, yaps, and growls.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Barks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barks. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
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