Meaning

16 senses
  1. The point that stands backward in an arrow, fishhook, etc., to prevent it from being easily extracted. Hence: Anything which stands out with a sharp point obliquely or crosswise to something else.

    Widerhaken

    шипšip, колю́чкаkoljúčka, зубе́цzubéc

  2. (figuratively)A hurtful or disparaging remark.

    to trade barbs

  3. A beard, or that which resembles it, or grows in the place of it.

  4. A beard, or that which resembles it, or grows in the place of it.

    A barbel on a fish's face.

  5. One of the many side branches of a feather, which collectively constitute the vane.

    Federast

    боро́дкаboródka

  6. Any of various species of freshwater carp-like fish that have barbels and belong to the cyprinid family.

  7. (US)The sciaenid fish Menticirrhus americanus, found along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the United States.

  8. A hair or bristle ending in a double hook.

  9. Paps, or little projections, of the mucous membrane, which mark the opening of the submaxillary glands under the tongue in horses and cattle. The name is mostly applied when the barbs are inflamed and swollen.

  10. A plastic fastener, shaped roughly like a capital I (with serifs), used to attach socks etc. to their packaging.

  11. The Barbary horse, a superior breed introduced from Barbary into Spain by the Moors.

  12. A blackish or dun variety of pigeon, originally brought from Barbary.

More definitions
  • one of the parallel filaments projecting from the main shaft of a feather
  • a subsidiary point facing opposite from the main point that makes an arrowhead or spear hard to remove
  • the pointed part of barbed wire
  • an aggressive remark directed at a person like a missile and intended to have a telling effect

Examples

7 sentences
  1. The barb on fishhooks make them difficult to remove.

    CC BY · Tatoeba · zachleigh · C2Open on TatoebaReport a problem
  2. He took my barbs in his usual good-natured way.

    CC BY · Tatoeba · mailohilohi · C1Open on TatoebaReport a problem
  3. My coat got caught on a barb on the barbed wire.

    CC BY · Tatoeba · zumley · C1Open on TatoebaReport a problem
  4. He couldn't come up with a pithy barb on the spot.

    CC0 · Tatoeba · shekitten · C2Open on TatoebaReport a problem
  5. The candidates insulted each other with cutting barbs, name-calling and personal attacks.

    CC BY · Tatoeba · Hybrid · C1Open on TatoebaReport a problem

Translations

6 languages
Русский
By meaning 2
point that stands backward in an arrow, fishhook, etc:
one of the side branches of a feather:
Deutsch
By meaning 2
point that stands backward in an arrow, fishhook, etc:
one of the side branches of a feather:

Origin

Clipping of Barbary. Clipping of barbiturate. Corruption of bard.

Clipping of Barbary.

Clipping of barbiturate.

Corruption of bard.

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

plural: barbs
Singularbarb
Pluralbarbs

regular

Synonyms

12 synonyms
barbelCarolina whitingking whitingsouthern kingcroakersouthern kingfishbarble
Close in meaning

Word family

18 related words

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
barb — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto