Definition of "bark" []

• The harsh sound uttered by a dog. (noun)
• A sound, such as a cough, that is similar to a dog's bark. (noun)
• To utter a bark. (verb-intransitive)
• To make a sound similar to a bark: "The birds bark softly, sounding almost like young pups” ( Charleston SC News and Courier). (verb-intransitive)
• To speak sharply; snap: "a spot where you can just drop in . . . without anyone's barking at you for failing to plan ahead” ( Andy Birsh). (verb-intransitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Most of these are true cinchona-trees, but there are also many kinds of the genus _Exostemma_, whose bark is collected as a febrifuge, and passes in commerce under the name of _Peruvian bark_."
• "By all means the best feature of all in my grafting work is what I call the bark slot."
• "Their bark is worse than their bite in other words."