as in insult
an act or expression showing scorn and usually intended to hurt another's feelings
delivered one last barb to his ex-girlfriend as he stalked away
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Recent Examples of barb
The drama around the game’s in-state matchup built in the weeks leading up to the contest, as the teams and their fan bases traded barbs.
—
Chris Vannini, The Athletic, 28 Dec. 2024
Zuckerberg also traded barbs with Trump, particularly over immigration and misinformation.
—Kif Leswing, CNBC, 14 Jan. 2025
The former Pittsburgh Steeler then hit back Jemele Hill, calling her comment unfunny.
Jemele Hill and Antonio Brown’s barbs arrive in the aftermath of Faraji’s explosive lawsuit.
—Marc Griffin, VIBE.com, 7 Jan. 2025
Drake smarted at the callout, and the two would trade subliminal barbs back and forth on-and-off-record for years to follow.
—Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 23 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for barb 
Chris Vannini, The Athletic, 28 Dec. 2024
Zuckerberg also traded barbs with Trump, particularly over immigration and misinformation.
—Kif Leswing, CNBC, 14 Jan. 2025
The former Pittsburgh Steeler then hit back Jemele Hill, calling her comment unfunny.
Jemele Hill and Antonio Brown’s barbs arrive in the aftermath of Faraji’s explosive lawsuit.
—Marc Griffin, VIBE.com, 7 Jan. 2025
Drake smarted at the callout, and the two would trade subliminal barbs back and forth on-and-off-record for years to follow.
—Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 23 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for barb
Thesaurus Entries Near barb
Cite this Entry
“Barb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barb. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
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