(barks, barking, barked)
1.
When a dog barks, it makes a short, loud noise, once or several times.
Don't let the dogs bark...
A small dog barked at a seagull he was chasing.
VERB: V, V at n
•
Bark is also a noun.
The Doberman let out a string of roaring barks.
N-COUNT
2.
If you bark at someone, you shout at them aggressively in a loud, rough voice.
I didn't mean to bark at you...
A policeman held his gun in both hands and barked an order.
VERB: V at n, V n, also V with quote
3.
Bark is the tough material that covers the outside of a tree.
N-UNCOUNT
4.
If you say that someone's bark is worse than their bite, you mean that they seem much more unpleasant or hostile than they really are. (INFORMAL)
She can be a bit tetchy but her bark is worse than her bite.
PHRASE: V inflects
5.
to
be barking up the wrong tree: see
tree