BARKING Synonyms: 37 Similar and Opposite Words

barking 1 of 2

verb (1)

present participle of bark

as in peeling

to remove the natural covering of barking a tree will probably kill it

Synonyms & Similar Words

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barking

2 of 2

verb (2)

present participle of bark

as in shouting

to speak sharply or irritably the new supervisor found that speaking to people with a civil tongue got better results than barking at them

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of barking

Verb

Both adult residents of the home were alerted to the fire when their dog began barking, helping wake them up, the fire department said. — Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026 Mainly looking to drown out a snoring partner, a barking dog or an overactive brain? — Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Oct. 2026 Even Barnum understood that the public can balance a three ring circus and not follow the carnival barking of the ringmaster. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 7 Oct. 2026 Heavy guillotine doors leading outside remained, pathways were narrow, and barking dogs and traffic from the nearby freeway created persistent noise. — Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 7 Oct. 2026 Rubber-bullet shooters and a barking K-9 unit trailed behind. — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026 The barking bunch performed unbelievable tricks in sync with music and choreography, leading to their victory. — Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2026 In one home, barking fell from 161 barks per hour to 40, a 75% reduction. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2026 Rich Sommer gives us the voice of Kavanaugh extolling the pleasures of beer and barking at senators who pointedly ask about the extent of his drinking. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for barking

Verb

There is also paint chipping and peeling above exterior door near ware washing area.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2026
The State Russian Museum revealed that the museum’s specialists repaired areas of peeling, applying primer and paint across the entire surface of the canvas and completed the restoration with a varnish coating.

— Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of peeling

Verb

According to Pollak, the couple repeatedly heard Torn shouting at someone through the hotel's thin walls.

— Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
Putting them under one clear execution item can preserve the work while reducing the number of separate things shouting at me.

— Morissa Schwartz, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of shouting

Verb

Kerry McCoy’s guitar juices up a mid-song gallop by abruptly pivoting from big and noisy to compressed and snarling; at the climax, everything cuts out for a second to spotlight a Daniel Tracy drum fill.

— Patrick Lyons, Pitchfork, 13 Oct. 2026
Stepping into the band’s lead guitarist role was Nick Johnston, a forceful presence delivering crisp musical phrases that could be fittingly elegant or snarling.

— Steve Appleford, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of snarling

Verb

You were expected, at the very least, to put up a good fight, and the dance could get real ugly real quick—I’ve witnessed aunties and uncles pounding their fists on the table in a yelling war and checks being ripped straight down the middle.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
This entire ordeal can be traced back to the infamous BCS formula, which captivated audiences with computer rankings that led to fans essentially yelling at computers at seasons end.

— Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of yelling

Verb

At an intersection in Hyde Park that, days earlier, had been the scene of chaos — a young girl on the ground, a car with a teenage boy on the windshield, a mother screaming — Jonathan Hale led his band of rebels.

— Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Someone who people think is abrasive and is screaming ‘Love me,’ but punching people at the same time.

— David Fear, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of screaming

Verb

Dogs and cats may be triggered by this distinctive smell and show unusual behavior when skunks are nearby, such as sniffing or pawing the dirt around the burrow or becoming more protective by growling or hovering near the entrance.

— Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 24 Sep. 2026
Video captured from the drone’s perspective and released on Facebook, shows the frustrated bobcat standing by a staircase, growling and arching its back at the hovering machine.

— Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of growling

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barkeeps

barking

barks

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“Barking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/barking. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of barking

verb (1)

verb (2)

Example Sentences

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