barber

1 of 2

noun

bar·​ber ˈbär-bər How to pronounce barber (audio)
: one whose business is cutting and dressing hair, shaving and trimming beards, and performing related services

barber

2 of 2

verb

barbered; barbering ˈbär-b(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce barber (audio)

transitive verb

: to perform the services of a barber for : trim or groom the hair or beard of

intransitive verb

: to perform the services of a barber

Examples of barber in a Sentence

Noun He goes to a barber downtown. went to the barber to get his hair cut and his beard trimmed
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
As for the top of his head, Kelce’s barber Patrick Regan detailed the athlete's signature buzz cut to Inside Edition and other outlets. Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024 Gradually, the barber shop outlasted nearly all of them. Hope Hodge Seck, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2024 Barbershops always seem to have one performer, a customer or a barber who likes to stir the pot, encourage fiery disagreement or goad discord about sports, music or dating. Jennifer Medina, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2024 The neighborhood’s commercial street was Pennsylvania Avenue with its restaurants, shops, movie theaters, barber shops and nightclubs. Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 3 Feb. 2024 At the Sovereign barber shop in North Park, customers are treated to ales from a nearby craft brewery, GOAL. Peter Rowe, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Feb. 2024 Hill was first employed in Indianapolis as a postal clerk and later as a barber. The Indianapolis Star, 1 Feb. 2024 In a serendipitous New York connection, James’s barber introduced him to his uncle Dennis, who turned out to be an OG jewelry craftsman on 47th Street, the city’s diamond district. Cortne Bonilla, Essence, 13 Jan. 2024 Secret Service asked one barber to put down his razor while the president was within arm’s reach, sparking a few sideways glances and some chuckles. Zeke Miller, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2024
Verb
Summer in the City, a revamp of the city’s Safe Summer program addressing juvenile crime, will now allow younger youth into its doors for a 5-day program, complete with classes ranging from cooking to barbering. Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 25 May 2023 From the porch of his childhood home in Cherry Hill to barber shops across Baltimore, Troy Staton, 52, has cut hair for nearly four decades. Tatyana Turner, baltimoresun.com, 14 Dec. 2020 The new campus will have a 28-chair clinic classroom, 12-chair barbering clinic classroom and five large classroom spaces for more training. Evan Casey, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 11 Feb. 2020 Roger Federer, while not infallible, can play when there is barbered grass underfoot. The Si Staff, SI.com, 29 June 2018 Ethos, Jacobs’ barbering biz featuring a traveling grooming station, was born. Elizabeth Wellington, Philly.com, 21 June 2018 Missouri law requires a training course of 1,000 hours for barbering and 1,500 hours for hairdressing, followed by a licensing exam. Tony Rizzo, kansascity, 11 Jan. 2018 The center offers auto and collision training in several garage bays, a welding shop, a dental lab, a cosmetology and barbering center, graphic arts and a culinary arts program. Carole Carlson, Post-Tribune, 23 Dec. 2017 But barbering was hard on daddy’s feet, and mother was homesick. WSJ, 19 Dec. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'barber.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French barbour, from barbe beard — more at barb

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1616, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of barber was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near barber

Cite this Entry

“Barber.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/barber. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

barber

noun
bar·​ber
ˈbär-bər
: a person whose business is cutting and dressing hair and shaving beards
barber verb
Etymology

Noun

Middle English barber "barber," from early French barbour (same meaning), derived from Latin barba "beard" — related to barb

Biographical Definition

Barber

biographical name

Bar·​ber ˈbär-bər How to pronounce Barber (audio)
Samuel 1910–1981 American composer

More from Merriam-Webster on barber

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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