barbwire

noun

barb·​wire ˈbärb-ˈwī(-ə)r How to pronounce barbwire (audio)
ˈbäb-

Examples of barbwire in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web See that strand of barbwire the beaver has to step over? Kris Millgate, Field & Stream, 4 Oct. 2023 But that involves the labor-intensive process of lugging bales of barbwire into remote areas. Gregory Thomas, San Francisco Chronicle, 4 Oct. 2021 Jumping over walls, crawling under barbwire, climbing up ropes. Jon Blau, Indianapolis Star, 8 June 2020 So while the water belongs to the people, the riverbed does not, and ranchers can, and frequently do, run barbwire across the water. Carson Vaughan, Outside Online, 27 Jan. 2020 Out in the pasture, past the barbwire fence that surrounds his Jackson County ranch house, Birdseye saw about 75 of his cows, tightly bunched in a defensive triangular formation, nervously staring at something behind him. Kale Williams, OregonLive.com, 10 June 2018

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

Word History

First Known Use

1874, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of barbwire was in 1874

Dictionary Entries Near barbwire

Cite this Entry

“Barbwire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/barbwire. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

barbwire

noun
barb·​wire (ˈ)bä(r)b-ˈwī(ə)r How to pronounce barbwire (audio)
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