BARB
Dictionary entry overview: What does barb mean?
• BARB (noun)
The noun BARB has 4 senses:
1. an aggressive remark directed at a person like a missile and intended to have a telling effect
2. the pointed part of barbed wire
3. a subsidiary point facing opposite from the main point that makes an arrowhead or spear hard to remove
4. one of the parallel filaments projecting from the main shaft of a feather
Familiarity information: BARB used as a noun is uncommon.
• BARB (verb)
The verb BARB has 2 senses:
1. provide with barbs
2. provide with barbs
Familiarity information: BARB used as a verb is rare.
Dictionary entry details
• BARB (noun)
Meaning:
An aggressive remark directed at a person like a missile and intended to have a telling effect
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Synonyms:
jibe; gibe; barb; dig; shaft; slam; shot
Context examples:
his parting shot was 'drop dead' / she threw shafts of sarcasm / she takes a dig at me every chance she gets
Hypernyms ("barb" is a kind of...):
comment; remark (a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "barb"):
cheap shot (an unnecessarily aggressive and unfair remark directed at a defenseless person)
Meaning:
The pointed part of barbed wire
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("barb" is a kind of...):
point (sharp end)
Holonyms ("barb" is a part of...):
barbed wire; barbwire (strong wire with barbs at regular intervals used to prevent passage)
Meaning:
A subsidiary point facing opposite from the main point that makes an arrowhead or spear hard to remove
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("barb" is a kind of...):
point (sharp end)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "barb"):
fluke (a barb on a harpoon or arrow)
Holonyms ("barb" is a part of...):
arrowhead (the pointed head or striking tip of an arrow)
hook (a curved or bent implement for suspending or pulling something)
lance; shaft; spear (a long pointed rod used as a weapon)
Meaning:
One of the parallel filaments projecting from the main shaft of a feather
Classified under:
Nouns denoting animals
Hypernyms ("barb" is a kind of...):
fibril; filament; strand (a very slender natural or synthetic fiber)
Holonyms ("barb" is a part of...):
vane; web (the flattened weblike part of a feather consisting of a series of barbs on either side of the shaft)
• BARB (verb)
Meaning:
Provide with barbs
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Context example:
barbed wire
Hypernyms (to "barb" is one way to...):
alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Meaning:
Provide with barbs
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Context example:
barbed wire
Hypernyms (to "barb" is one way to...):
alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
