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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
Even Barnum understood that the public can balance a three ring circus and not follow the carnival barking of the ringmaster. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 7 Oct. 2026 Heavy guillotine doors leading outside remained, pathways were narrow, and barking dogs and traffic from the nearby freeway created persistent noise. — Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Noun
They may have been used to carry food or scoop embers, much like the bark dishes called coolamons used by Aboriginal Australians. — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 9 Oct. 2026 Test the plant’s health by lightly scratching the woody stems—healthy tissue beneath the bark will typically look green. — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 9 Oct. 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
  • Kerry McCoy’s guitar juices up a mid-song gallop by abruptly pivoting from big and noisy to compressed and snarling; at the climax, everything cuts out for a second to spotlight a Daniel Tracy drum fill.
    — Patrick Lyons, Pitchfork, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Stepping into the band’s lead guitarist role was Nick Johnston, a forceful presence delivering crisp musical phrases that could be fittingly elegant or snarling.
    — Steve Appleford, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of snarl
Noun
  • It was selected as the foundation of Britain’s five-ship Type 31 programme, which is being built at Babcock’s Rosyth shipyard in Scotland.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The Navy has used the cessation of hostilities to restock ships with munitions and supplies, completing a significant replenishment of weapons for the USS George Washington last week.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of ship
Verb
  • Her removal sparked immediate friction in the room, with several audience members shouting and arguing with Eggers over the decision.
    — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2026
  • But the Rodriguez and other members of the Cuban delegation began banging the desks, calling for a point of order and shouting insults at Waltz.
    — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of shout
Noun
  • The wreckage may have come from a schooner barge, a type of merchant vessel commonly used to transport cargo along the East Coast during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Robinson said.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Yves Saint Laurent’s legendary fete on a four-masted schooner in New York City to mark the launch of Opium is still talked about by industry veterans today.
    — Noor Lobad, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of schooner
Verb
  • Northwestern coach Chris Collins yells to his players during a Big Ten Tournament game March, 12, 2026, at the United Center.
    — Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The witness told police that Simpson struck Hampton several times while yelling at her to leave.
    — Briauna Brown, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of yell
Noun
  • The Navy is currently building five F110 Bonifaz-class frigates.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026
  • In September, a Russian frigate off the coast of Denmark fired two flares at a Danish military helicopter, one of which came dangerously close to hitting the aircraft.
    — Julianne Smith, Foreign Affairs, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of frigate
Verb
  • A little girl pounding her fists and screaming; none of the visitors nor the staff were allowed to hold her to provide comfort.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Rays third baseman Junior Caminero screamed in the dugout after Milwaukee had rallied to tie the game.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of scream
Noun
  • The new 280-footer, currently known as Project 410, will become the world’s largest sloop upon launch.
    — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 25 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of sloop

Browse Nearby Words

baring
bark
barked
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bark.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bark. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on bark

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about bark

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of shindig

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All