Meaning & use
bark
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Meanings
noununcountable
The hard outer layer that covers the trunk and branches of a tree.
Grammar: Usually uncountable: 'a piece of bark', not 'a bark'.
Patterns
- tree bark
- strip of bark
- bark of a tree
The bark of the oak is rough and deeply cracked.
We peeled a strip of bark from the fallen branch.
Some insects lay their eggs under tree bark.
verbintransitive
To make the short, loud sound that a dog makes.
Grammar: No object: the dog barked. You can add 'at': the dog barked at the mail carrier.
Patterns
- bark at someone
- bark loudly
- dogs bark
The dog barked at every car that passed.
Our neighbor's puppy barks all night.
The dogs barked when they heard the doorbell.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To say something in a loud, sharp voice, often because you are angry or giving orders.
Grammar: Can take an object: bark orders; or be used without one: 'Stop barking at me!'
Patterns
- bark at someone
- bark orders
- bark out a command
The sergeant barked orders at the new recruits.
Don't bark at me—I'm only trying to help.
She barked a quick reply and left the room.
nouncountable
The short, loud sound a dog makes.
Grammar: Countable: a bark, two barks.
Patterns
- a loud bark
- give a bark
- with a bark
The dog gave a sharp bark and ran to the gate.
I heard a bark from the backyard.
Word forms
| third person singular | barks |
|---|---|
| past tense | barked |
| past participle | barked |
| -ing form | barking |
| plural | barks |
Common combinations
- tree bark
- Tree bark protects the wood inside.
- bark at
- The dog barked at the stranger.
- bark orders
- He barked orders at everyone in the room.
- strip of bark
- She carved her name into a strip of bark.
- bark up the wrong tree
- If you think I took it, you're barking up the wrong tree.
Synonyms and how they differ
- woof
- Informal and mainly used for the sound itself, especially in children's speech; bark is the standard word.
- yap
- A high, sharp bark from a small dog; bark is the general term.
- snarl
- An angry, low sound a dog makes with bared teeth; a bark is louder and shorter.
- cover
- For tree bark, 'cover' is a general word; bark is the specific outer layer.
Word family
- barking noun
- The sound a dog makes; also used as an adjective: a barking dog.
- barker noun
- A person who stands outside a show and calls out to attract customers.
Commonly confused: bark or barque?
bark vs barque
A sailing ship with three masts; it sounds the same as bark but is spelled differently.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
When a dog makes its sound toward someone, we use 'bark at someone'. 'Bark to' is not used for dogs; 'bark on' and 'bark for' do not fit this meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “bark”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.