barbed wire

noun

\ ˈbärb(d)-ˈwī(-ə)r

, ˈbäb(d)-\

Definition of barbed wire

: twisted wires armed with barbs or sharp points

— called also barbwire

Examples of barbed wire in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones says his office's investigation and interviews with the owner determined the unintentional cut to the dog's throat was from a barbed wire fence. — chicagotribune.com, "Ohio dog owner faked story of abused pup to get free vet care, police say," 27 Aug. 2019 Agents arrived at the Morton plant, passing a chain-link fence with barbed wire on top, with a sign that said the company was hiring. — Jeff Amy, Fortune, "Buses of Workers Taken From Koch Foods in Mississippi Immigration Raids," 7 Aug. 2019 Agents arrived at the Morton plant, passing a chain-link fence with barbed wire on top, with a sign that said the company was hiring. — Washington Post, "Immigration raids hit Mississippi food processing plants," 7 Aug. 2019 Agents arrived at the Morton plant, passing a chain-link fence with barbed wire on top, with a sign that said the company was hiring. — Author: Rogelio Solis, Jeff Amy, Anchorage Daily News, "Largest U.S. immigration raids in a decade net 680 arrests," 7 Aug. 2019 The painting is described as photorealistic, complete with barbed wire, corrections officers and a guard station. — Fox News, "Jeffrey Epstein's private 'Island of Sin' and sex dolls: 5 weird details to know," 11 July 2019 Each hiker donned a bright yellow vest and followed soldiers through the gate, past a guard post and down wooden steps to the seaside trail running along unused train tracks and lined the whole way with a tall barbed wire fence. — Victoria Kim, latimes.com, "Come hike the demilitarized zone between the Koreas. Please watch your step," 25 June 2019 But beyond the trees were concrete walls, now freshly fortified with coils of electrified barbed wire. — Washington Post, "Glenn Greenwald has faced pushback for his reporting before. But not like this.," 13 July 2019 Seemingly every structure stands behind a wall of barbed wire. — Daniel Castro, Harper's magazine, "The Truce," 10 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'barbed wire.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.