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barking

BAR-king/ˈbɑɹkɪŋ/UKBAH-king/ˈbɑːkɪŋ/

3 meanings of barking

Practice

  1. 1
    verb
    The -ing form of bark. Use it after am, is, are, was or were, or to name the action.

    The dog kept barking at the mailman all afternoon.

    Barking loudly, the puppy woke the whole house.

    Note
  2. 2
    noununcountable
    The sharp, loud sound a dog makes with its voice.

    The barking woke me up in the middle of the night.

    We heard loud barking coming from the yard next door.

    Similaryapping, yelping, woofing

    Note
  3. 3
    adjectiveslangBritishNew Zealandabbreviationclipping
    Short for barking mad. British slang for someone who is completely crazy.

    My neighbor thinks his cat is sending him secret messages. He's completely barking.

    He thinks he can drive there in an hour? That's barking.

    Note

barking is a form of bark

bark, verb: To make a short, loud sound, like a dog does. Full entry

Forms
barkbarks he/she/itbarking -ing formbarked past tense, past participle
Spelling
bark → barking: add -ing

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Origins

Meanings 1, 3

From Middle English, made from the word "bark" plus "-ing".

Meaning 2

From Middle English, made from the word "bark" plus "-ing".