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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in ship
a boat equipped with one or more sails
took a small bark out on the lake
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bark
Peter Guo, NBC news, 31 Dec. 2025
Trump barks in the presentation — audio clipped from previous speeches against his rival.
—Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Dec. 2025
Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 7 Jan. 2026
The second is a version of the first, but the bark is now covered with runic symbols.
—Christian Wiman, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bark
Verb
Hunters, riot police and even the military have been deployed, using drones that bark like dogs, traps laced with honey and even mechanical wolves to keep the bears at bay.
—Noun
Techniques used to age the trees on Mike Mountain included bark characteristics, tree height and circumference.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for bark
Noun
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Bagail 8-piece Packing Cube Set While dress codes during the day skew casual on board a ship, passengers do like to dress up at night, which means the pressure is on to pull together a classy outfit that’s not on repeat.—
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Although a recent visit to Palo Alto’s Taverna was lackluster except for the awesome outdoor décor and cute waiters, its sister ship in Portola Valley is absolutely lovely, and the food more in line with expectation.—
Noun
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When the schooner was just off the coast of El Salvador, a tramp steamer spotted them and finally supplied fresh water.—
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Ella is shocked to suddenly find Nick (Brown), a sailor and local Newport historian, aboard her schooner and accuses him of being a stowaway.—
Noun
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Japan has long banned arms exports but has significantly eased restrictions in recent years and is now developing next-generation fighter jets with the UK and Italy while finalizing a deal to sell frigates to Australia.—
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Destroyers, frigates, fighter jets and bombers also carried out simulated strikes on maritime targets.—
Noun
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Anguilla's rich sailing history comes alive while exploring the island's coastline on a classic Caribbean sloop.—
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Inspired by the original 1926 Q Class sloop, known as Q7 Falcon, aka Lively Lady, which Peter sails regularly around San Diego.—
Noun
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Their $500 million mega yacht, Koru, was anchored nearby, but the couple reportedly spent most of their time on land.—
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The Coral Gables man operating the boat that ran over and killed a 15-year-old girl wakeboarding behind a yacht in Biscayne Bay pleaded guilty to misdemeanor careless-boating charges Monday in a Miami-Dade County court.—
Noun
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Golden mussels clog the thruster and decorate the underside of his dinghies.—
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Dozens have died in recent years trying to cross one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes in overcrowded dinghies.—
Cite this Entry
“Bark.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bark. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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