to bark
- verb
- /bɑrk/
- To enhance the garden's aesthetic, we plan to bark the flower beds with tree bark mulch.
- bark a tree
- bark a trunk
Examples
-
They used to bark the trunk of the tree to protect it from pests.
-
When we renovated the garden, we decided to bark the trees for a healthier look.
-
After all, why keep a doctor and bark yourself?
Fiction book (1995) -
That's how I wound up barking up your tree this morning.
-
Look, you seem like a really nice guy... but I gotta warn you right now if you're looking to find yourself a one-night soulmate, you're definitely barking up the wrong tree.
-
In worrying about "communication," CRU, Mann, and the IPCC are barking up the wrong tree (no pun intended).
Blog text (17)
Synonyms
Idioms
Compounds
- US
A light boat made from birch tree bark and used by Native people in North America
- Specialized
A small shrub with large pink sepals that people use as medicine for fever
- Indian
A tropical tree with smelly, poisonous bark and strong wood whose bark and seeds people use as medicine
- NSFW
A tropical American tree with rough, smelly poisonous outer layer and very hard wood used in traditional medicine
- Specialized
A spicy, fragrant inner bark from a small tropical tree used as a spice and medicine
- Archaic
Bark from a Colombian tree people used long ago to make medicine for malaria
- Specialized
A disease that kills American chestnut trees by making deep wounds in their bark
- Philippine
An evergreen tree from eastern Asia and the Philippines with large leathery leaves and small green white flower clusters
- Specialized
A fragrant bark from a small shrub used to make incense and health drinks
- Specialized
Bitter bark from a South American tree that flavors drinks and medicines
- US
A shrub or small tree that grows in southern US swamps whose bark is used to treat fever
- Archaic
Dried bark from a South American tree that contains quinine used to treat malaria
- Australian
Thin bark from the paper mulberry tree that people beat to make cloth in Polynesia
- Australian
A large Australian tree with a smooth pale trunk and light soft wood used for building
- Specialized
A small insect that makes holes in the bark of spruce trees and often kills them
- Specialized
A South American evergreen tree with aromatic bark used as a spice and medicine
- Specialized
A small group of mainly tropical shrubs and trees with scented bark
- Specialized
A South American evergreen tree with fragrant leaves, bark used as medicine, and soft light wood
Surface Forms
Etymology
Bark (to remove or cover with bark) comes from the noun bark meaning tree 'skin', so to bark something is to put on or take off that tree 'skin'.