Definition

Noun: * Barbed wire is a type of strong wire with sharp metal points (barbs) placed at regular intervals along its length. Its primary purpose is to create a barrier to prevent passage, typically used for fencing in livestock or securing a perimeter.

Usage

Barbed wire is used as a non-count noun. You refer to a length or coil of it, not "a barbed wire." * It is commonly used for agricultural, military, and security fencing. * It can be a single strand or multiple strands strung between posts.

Examples

• The farmer replaced the old wooden fence with barbed wire to keep the cattle from wandering.
• The perimeter of the military base was secured with multiple rows of barbed wire.
• They used barbed wire to mark the boundary of the construction site.

Advanced Usage

• Barbed wire can be used metaphorically to describe something that is sharp, painful, or designed to hurt or entrap, often in a verbal or emotional sense.
  • Her words were like barbed wire, leaving emotional scars.
  • The contract was full of barbed wire clauses designed to trap the unwary.

Variants and Related Words

• Barbwire: A common informal spelling and pronunciation variant of "barbed wire."
• Razor wire (or concertina wire): A more modern and extremely sharp type of security fencing made of coiled steel tape with razor-sharp edges. It is related but distinct from traditional barbed wire.
• Barb: The sharp metal projection on the wire. A single point is a barb.

Synonyms

• Barrier wire
• Fencing wire (though this is more general and not necessarily barbed)

Related Phrases and Idioms

• Behind barbed wire: A phrase meaning imprisoned, confined, or in a restricted area, often used in historical contexts like prisoner-of-war camps.
  • The soldiers spent years behind barbed wire.
• Barbed-wire entanglement: A military term for a defensive obstacle made of barbed wire.

Noun

1. strong wire with barbs at regular intervals used to prevent passage