barber

¹ American  

[bahr-ber] / ˈbɑr bər /

noun

1. a person whose occupation it is to cut and dress the hair of customers, especially men, and to shave or trim the beard.

2. frost smoke.

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verb (used with object)

1. to trim or dress the hair or beard of.

Barber ² American  

[bahr-ber] / ˈbɑr bər /

noun

1. Samuel, 1910–81, U.S. composer.

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barber ¹ British  

/ ˈbɑːbə /

noun

1. a person whose business is cutting men's hair and shaving or trimming beards

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verb

1. to cut the hair of

2. to shave or trim the beard of

Barber ² British  

/ ˈbɑːbə /

noun

1. Samuel . 1910–81, US composer: his works include an Adagio for Strings , adapted from the second movement of his string quartet No. 1 (1936) and the opera Vanessa (1958)

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Other Word Forms

• unbarbered adjective
• well-barbered adjective

Etymology

Origin of barber

1275–1325; Middle English barbour < Anglo-French; Old French barbeor, equivalent to barb ( e ) (< Latin barba beard) + -eor < Latin -ātōr- -ator

Example Sentences

Gonzalez said he worked seven days a week as a barber during the summer.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2026

My neighborhood barber, who quietly says “Bismillah,” meaning “in the name of God,” before putting the buzzer to my head, is keenly aware of this.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

Displaced barber Mohamed Abbas said he had been close to four strikes in southern Lebanon last week before fleeing to Raouche, hoping it would be safer.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026

He added that in some cases where both a barber and clients were detained, "the clients have been let out, but they kept the barber" in custody.

From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026

When he was done, the barber handed me a looking glass and turnt the chair so’s I could see the back of my own head.

From "The Journey of Little Charlie" by Christopher Paul Curtis