bark Meaning & Definition
What Does Bark Mean?
Bark is a verb that means To make a short, loud, explosive noise with the vocal organs (said of animals, especially dogs). It can also mean To make a clamor; to make importunate outcries. As a noun, it means The short, loud, explosive sound uttered by a dog, a fox, and some other animals. As an interjection, it means The sound of a dog barking.
Word Facts for Bark
| Part of speech | verb, noun, interjection |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /bɑːk/ |
| Synonyms | skin, barque and rind |
| Plural | barks |
| Verb forms | barks, barking, barked |
Bark Definition (Verb)
- To make a short, loud, explosive noise with the vocal organs (said of animals, especially dogs).
The neighbour's dog is always barking.
- To make a clamor; to make importunate outcries.
- To speak sharply.
The sergeant barked an order.
Bark as a Noun
- The short, loud, explosive sound uttered by a dog, a fox, and some other animals.
- An abrupt loud vocal utterance.
- (music) The quick opening of the hi-hat cymbal as it is hit, followed by its timely closing.
- (video games) A short, repeatable, and unobtrusive voiceline spoken by an NPC.
Bark as an Interjection
- The sound of a dog barking.
Noun
- The exterior covering of the trunk and branches of a tree or of various other woody plants.
- Peruvian bark or Jesuit's bark, the bark of the cinchona from which quinine is produced.
- Hard candy made in flat sheets, for instance out of chocolate, peanut butter, toffee or peppermint.
- The crust formed on barbecued meat that has had a rub applied to it.
- The envelopment or outer covering of anything.
- Woodchips.
Verb
- To strip the bark from; to peel.
- To abrade or rub off any outer covering from.
I barked my shins climbing the fence.
- To girdle.
- To cover or enclose with bark, or as with bark.
to bark the roof of a hut
Noun
- A small sailing vessel, e.g. a pinnace or a fishing smack; a rowing boat or barge.
- A sailing vessel or boat of any kind.
- A vessel, typically with three (or more) masts, with the foremasts (or fore- and mainmasts) square-rigged, and mizzenmast schooner-rigged.
Noun
- An Irish person.
Noun
- The exterior covering of the trunk and branches of a tree.
Verb
- To cover or inclose with bark, or as with bark.
bark the roof of a hut
Synonyms of Bark
Bark synonyms and antonyms →Bark in a Sentence
The neighbour's dog is always barking.
The seal barked as the zookeeper threw fish into its enclosure.
The sergeant barked an order.
I barked my shins climbing the fence.
to bark the roof of a hut
to bark one’s heel
bark the roof of a hut
Word Forms & Grammar
bark (third-person singular simple present barks, present participle barking, simple past and past participle barked)
bark (plural barks)
bark
bark (countable and uncountable, plural barks)
Words That Rhyme With Bark
Origin of Bark
Origin 1: From Middle English barken, berken, borken, from Old English beorcan (“to bark”), from the Proto-West Germanic *berkan (“to bark”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerg- (“to make a noise, growl, bark”), from *bʰer- (“to drone, hum, buzz”).
Origin 2: Cognate with Icelandic berkja (“to bark, bluster”), Icelandic barki (“throat, windpipe”), dialectal Lithuanian burgė́ti (“to growl, grumble, grouch, quarrel”), Serbo-Croatian brbljati (“to murmur”). For the noun, compare Old English beorc, bearce (“barking”).
Origin 3: From Middle English bark, from Old English barc (“bark”), from Old Norse bǫrkr (“tree bark”), from Proto-Germanic *barkuz, probably related to *birkijǭ (“birch”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerHǵós (compare Latin frāxinus (“ash”), Lithuanian béržas (“birch”)), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerHǵ- (“to gleam; white”) (compare English bright); akin to Danish bark, Icelandic börkur, Low German borke and Albanian berk (“bast”).
Origin 4: From Middle English barke (“boat”), from Middle French barque, from Late Latin barca, a regular syncope of Vulgar Latin *barica, from Classical Latin bāris, from Ancient Greek βᾶρις (bâris, “Egyptian boat”), from Coptic ⲃⲁⲁⲣⲉ (baare, “small boat”), from Demotic Egyptian br, from Egyptian bꜣjr (“transport ship”). Doublet of barge, barque and baris.
Questions People Ask About Bark
Is bark a verb or a noun?
Bark is mainly used as a verb, but it can also be used as a noun and an interjection.
What is another word for bark?
You can replace bark with words such as skin, barque and rind. See the full list of bark synonyms and antonyms.
What is the plural of bark?
The plural of bark is barks.
What is the past tense of bark?
The past tense of bark is barked. The present participle is barking.