barbed wire

noun

1. a wire or strand of wires having small pieces of sharply pointed wire twisted around it at short intervals, used chiefly for fencing in livestock, keeping out trespassers, etc.

barbed wire

noun

1. strong wire with sharply pointed barbs at close intervals Also called (US)barbwire

Word History and Origins

Origin of barbed wire¹

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

As an elderly woman, she told a few stories about life behind the barbed wire, but she was so young when she was imprisoned there that her tales were brief and short on detail, based on other people’s memories.

From Los Angeles Times

On the ground, amid the sagebrush and tumbleweeds, are a few old barracks, a weathered wooden fence strung with barbed wire and a wind-battered guard tower.

From Los Angeles Times

A small crowd of friends and family watched as amateur teams from Los Angeles and Lodi trotted onto a recently reconstructed diamond to commemorate a time when every single one of them would have been caged behind barbed wire.

From Los Angeles Times

He would have been “hated, feared” and forced to play behind barbed wire, Kwong said.

From Los Angeles Times

First Lady Pat Nixon presided over the park’s dedication in 1971, crossing a barbed wire fence that separated the two countries to greet cheering Mexicans on the other side.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• fence
• fencing