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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

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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

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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

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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 bark
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 Suddenly Danger started barking in the direction of the jungle. — Literary Hub, 1 Sep. 2026
Noun
The interior chamber is engineered to handle various fuel setups, including gas burners, solid fuel tablets, alcohol burners and even organic biomass like twigs, bark, and leaves. — New Atlas, 10 Sep. 2026 This is different than, say, dog providers, who were reported to rarely return a canine’s bark. — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 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
  • The pipeline has been relied upon to transport production from the Persian Gulf as transit through the Strait of Hormuz remains snarled.
    — Harvey Stober, CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026
  • That, plus some afternoon thunderstorms, snarled airport operations on Sunday evening.
    — Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 13 Sep. 2026
Definition of snarl
Noun
  • The effect created the illusion of two ships, leaving the enemy unsure which one to target.
    — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 16 Sep. 2026
  • By treating the ship as an evolving platform, CSL and Adbri have bypassed the infrastructure gridlock that leaves many zero-emission concepts stranded on the drawing board.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of ship
Verb
  • Alonso threw his bat and shouted toward his teammates in the visiting dugout upon impact — an image Mets fans can instantly recall from his most famous long ball with New York in 2024’s wild-card series.
    — Will Sammon, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Emmys presenter and huge fan Marcello Hernández shouted out the newlyweds from the stage, saying hi to Zendaya.
    — Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of shout
Noun
  • In 1861, the first naval engagement since the start of the Civil War took place as the USS Colorado attacked and sank the Confederate private schooner Judah off the coast of Pensacola, Florida.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Harry Kane’s schooner sails well wide of all that poofterish fluff with buckles and straps.
    — Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of schooner
Verb
  • Stop and think of what the same bozos yelling about Sweeney would say if Lizzo was holding a couple of footballs over her rack.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • An employee who knew about Elliott’s miscarriage and worked that day also witnessed Sanders yelling at Elliott.
    — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of yell
Noun
  • In a separate incident Tuesday, Denmark said a Russian frigate fired flares toward a Danish military helicopter conducting routine surveillance over the Baltic Sea.
    — Bradford Betz, FOXNews.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The system completed a year of testing aboard the German frigate Sachsen, during which its tracking, command, and engagement technologies were evaluated under maritime conditions.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of frigate
Verb
  • There were hugs and high fives, and jubilant screams from a winning locker room could be heard clearly in the adjacent news conference room and by anyone walking through the hallway.
    — Zack Rosenblatt, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Kolb also pushed another protester who was screaming about getting wool off the runway, covering the protester’s mouth and pulling a banner out of his hands, until he was escorted out.
    — Leigh Nordstrom, Footwear News, 13 Sep. 2026
Definition of scream
Noun
  • 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
  • Just two days after the Hannah was underway, her crew captured the Unity, a sloop loaded with naval stores and lumber, supplies sorely needed by British forces in Boston.
    — Christopher Magra, The Conversation, 2 June 2026
Definition of sloop

Browse Nearby Words

baring
bark
barked
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Cite this Entry

“Bark.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bark. Accessed 20 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on bark

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about bark

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