BARKING Synonyms: 37 Similar and Opposite Words

barking 1 of 2

verb (1)

present participle of bark

as in peeling

to remove the natural covering of barking a tree will probably kill it

Synonyms & Similar Words

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barking

2 of 2

verb (2)

present participle of bark

as in shouting

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

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 barking

Verb

Both adult residents of the home were alerted to the fire when their dog began barking, helping wake them up, the fire department said. — Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026 When the group arrived, Jason couldn’t enter the residence because of the barking dogs. — Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 15 Oct. 2026 Mainly looking to drown out a snoring partner, a barking dog or an overactive brain? — Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Oct. 2026 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 Rubber-bullet shooters and a barking K-9 unit trailed behind. — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026 In one home, barking fell from 161 barks per hour to 40, a 75% reduction. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2026 Rich Sommer gives us the voice of Kavanaugh extolling the pleasures of beer and barking at senators who pointedly ask about the extent of his drinking. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for barking

Verb

Surface of bottom shelf of the preparation tables near the fryers and grill are peeling creating a surface that is not smooth nor easily cleanable.

— NWA Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
This season, there’s a lot of visual references to unmasking and peeling back the layers of the face Chad put on in Season 1.

— Angelique Jackson, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of peeling

Verb

Combat sequences, set in the Pacific theater and filmed in Australia, look expansive and authentic, weaving around hundreds of soldiers running and shouting and shooting at once.

— Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2026
The most common type was verbal abuse, including shouting or swearing, which 34% of retail respondents experienced.

— Andrew Adam Newman, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of shouting

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 snarling

Verb

In 2015, she was suspended for a week after a video surfaced of her yelling at and belittling a towing company employee.

— Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Officers are then heard yelling again, but the car appears to move toward at least one of the officers before Foster shoots into the car, video shows.

— Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of yelling

Verb

Warren joked, as several audience members had been screaming to hear his hit during his set.

— Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2026
Four pledges at a Texas State University fraternity were arrested on Tuesday after an 18-year-old was allegedly forced into a pickup truck and heard screaming, according to police.

— Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of screaming

Verb

Dogs and cats may be triggered by this distinctive smell and show unusual behavior when skunks are nearby, such as sniffing or pawing the dirt around the burrow or becoming more protective by growling or hovering near the entrance.

— Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 24 Sep. 2026
Video captured from the drone’s perspective and released on Facebook, shows the frustrated bobcat standing by a staircase, growling and arching its back at the hovering machine.

— Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of growling

Browse Nearby Words

barkeeps

barking

barks

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

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Synonyms of barking

verb (1)

verb (2)

Example Sentences

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