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# barb

«barb» in Mova's school dictionary: **a sharp point that sticks out backwards from the tip of a…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (a barb, barbs); verb (barb, barbs, barbed — mostly as «barbed»)

### meaning for a pupil

1) A barb is a sharp point that sticks out backwards from the tip of a fish hook, arrow or wire, so it is hard to pull out. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/barb/#m1)

2) A barb is an unkind remark meant to hurt someone. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/barb/#m2)

3) In biology, barbs are the thin side threads on a feather, and the sharp backward hooks on a bee's sting. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/barb/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In science lessons a honeybee's sting has barbs, so it gets stuck in skin; feathers are made of a shaft with barbs. In safety, barbed wire on farm fences can cut you, so climb over at a gate. In stories and friendships, a barb is a mean comment. Phrases: «barbed wire», «a fish-hook barb», «a sharp barb».

### examples

- The fish hook has a barb so the fish can't slip off. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/barb/#x1)
- The bee's sting has tiny barbs. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/barb/#x2)
- Barbed wire runs along the top of the fence. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/barb/#x3)
- Her barb about my hair really hurt. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/barb/#x4)
- Each feather has hundreds of tiny barbs. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/barb/#x5)
- Be careful — the barbs on the wire are sharp. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/barb/#x6)
- The arrowhead had a barb at the back. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/barb/#x7)
- He ignored the barbs from the other team. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/barb/#x8)

### note

Countable: a barb, barbs. Adjective: barbed (barbed wire, a barbed comment). Not the same as «Barb» (a name, short for Barbara) or «barber» (a person who cuts hair). Safety: don't pull a barbed hook out of skin yourself — get an adult.

### In the corpora

- [Most American tarantulas flick itchy barbed hairs at enemies, and female tarantulas can live 20 to 30 years.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/38-spiders-scorpions-and-eight-legged-creatures/12/)
- [Honeybees die after stinging people because the barbed stinger sticks in skin and tears out, but not when stinging other insects.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/188-record-breakers-the-most-venomous-and-poisonous/14/)
- [A honeybee's barbed sting gets stuck in the stretchy skin of mammals, but not in the hard bodies of other insects.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/30-thinking-like-an-animal/17/)
- [A honeybee's sting is barbed and gets stuck in skin, so a honeybee usually dies after stinging a person.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/240-night-sky-and-outdoor-myths/16/)
- [A honeybee's sting is barbed and gets stuck in skin, so the bee usually dies after stinging a person.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/301-tsunamis-lambs-plants-ants-and-stings/19/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «barb» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/barb/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.