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
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 Rubber-bullet shooters and a barking K-9 unit trailed behind. — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 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
  • Iran continued its campaign of striking ships trying to use the Strait of Hormuz, with four droned in the last 24 hours.
    — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
  • While the Botanical Bliss ships compressed like all mattresses-in-a-box, setting it up required a bit more effort than expected.
    — Nashia Baker, Architectural Digest, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of ship
Verb
  • Hollywell nods in agreement, and shouts out all the graffiti artists and other creatives who are still nearby.
    — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2026
  • While one fan shouts criticism at an official’s call at Mira Costa High, Grandma and Grandpa Reis calmly and confidently root for their grandsons, Christian, a running back, and Weston, a linebacker.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 21 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
  • Moshier remembers when the team stopped at a fast-food restaurant on a road trip and Murphy yelled for everyone to get back to the bus.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Hill yelled at Vikings linebacker Eric Wilson after Wilson was accidentally knocked into him during Minnesota's game against Miami.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 18 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
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Cite this Entry

“Bark.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bark. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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