barbs

noun

plural of barb
as in insults
an act or expression showing scorn and usually intended to hurt another's feelings delivered one last barb to his ex-girlfriend as he stalked away

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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 barbs After responding to their most visible attacks, the two candidates traded barbs over a slew of policy issues, including health care, prescription drug prices, tariffs and the ongoing war with Iran. — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2026 Bill Essayli traded barbs at dueling healthcare fraud news conferences in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday morning, sniping at each other over billions lost to benefits schemes and the increasingly politicized efforts to stop them. — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026 While Vision patches himself up from the Paladin fight and suffers through Ultron’s barbs, Paladin patches his own wounds and takes similar guff from his handler. — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026 In the final weeks of the 2026 midterms, political candidates have dragged their opponents’ families into campaigns, reflecting how divisive politics has become, with few barbs, if any, off-limits. — Dan Merica, Washington Post, 21 Oct. 2026 Brazil’s presidential candidates traded barbs in the first debate ahead of Sunday’s runoff, with polls showing a technical tie. — semafor.com, 19 Oct. 2026 The debate, which drew around 200 people to Grace Place in Berthoud, was largely made up of attacks — with Rutinel, a Democrat, and Evans, a Republican, trading barbs and accusations during the hourlong affair. — John Aguilar, Denver Post, 7 Oct. 2026 Her barbs are sharp enough to bring even Regina George to tears. — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 29 Sep. 2026 But while politicians trade barbs, residents in Rio de Janeiro have been designing their own responses, with ex-traffickers launching podcasts and grieving mothers stepping up to stop youth recruitment. — ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for barbs
  1. insults
  2. sarcasms
Noun
  • The incident reportedly started after a group sitting behind McHenry started shouting insults toward Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma about his fiancée, Winnie Harlow.
    — Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The debate was somewhat tamer than the two candidates' first faceoff earlier this month, which featured insults and interruptions in virtually every answer.
    — Aaron Navarro, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of insults
Noun
  • First seen at a night-club table of menacing lowlifes, Ida, whose mother tongue is Brooklynese, suddenly switches to a heavy British accent and dispenses a torrent of highly literary sarcasms.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2026
Definition of sarcasms

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barbs
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Cite this Entry

“Barbs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barbs. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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