- bark
- bark vb Bark, bay, howl, growl, snarl, yelp, yap mean to make the sound of or a sound suggestive of a dog.Bark implies the sharp, explosive utterance characteristic of dogs; it may be used not only of them and of another animal (as a seal) that produces a similar noise but also of a person or a sonorous thing that gives the same effect{
heard the barking of wolves in the distance
}{the guns barked all night long
}{they [critics] had . . . barked at you, foamed at you day after day, now you were ended. They praised you . . . and laid you away— Lindsay
}{thunder . . . barked in the distance— McFee
}Bay implies a repeated or almost continuous barking in deep prolonged tones that is characteristic of hounds in pursuit of quarry{I had rather be a dog, and bay the moon, than such a Roman— Shak.
}{dogs baying and driving him up a tree— Darwin
}Bay is seldom used of any animals other than members of the dog family (including mythical ones such as Cerberus) and is infrequently used in reference to men. When it is so used, it generally implies the action not of an individual but of a group (as a mob) that acts like a pack of dogs baying{I dare avouch you'd stand up for yourself, though all the world should bay like winter wolves— Tennyson
}Howl implies a long, loud, mournful cry made by dogs seemingly in distress and often interpreted as evidence of hunger or loneliness. The term implies also similar sounds made by other animals, but its strongest association has been with dogs and wolves{a dog howled each night
}{pursued by howling wolves
}Howl (see also ROAR) may be used in reference to human beings to imply loud crying, laughing, or derisive calling, and to other sounds that suggest the howling of animals (as in loudness and prolongation).Growl applies to the long, low rumbling sound suggesting a threat that is made by an angry dog; less often it is used in reference to other animals (as the bear or cat). Like howl, it is applied to persons and to inanimate things (as thunder and winds). When used of persons, it suggests utterance in a surly or grumbling mood{he growled, "What are you doing there?"
}{he's no business to growl. . . about money— Holland
}Snarl implies not only a growling but a snapping and baring of fangs; it, too, is used typically of dogs and suggests an aggressive or infuriated state{the dog never snarled until he was mistreated
}{children run from a snarling dog
}Snarl when used of a person's manner or speech implies a highly disagreeable quality and usually suggests spite or malignity and a menacing attitude{the midwife wondered and the women cried "O, Jesus bless us, he is born with teeth!" And so I was; which plainly signified that I should snarl and bite and play the dog— Shak.
}Yelp has as its basic implication the utterance of short, shrill barks by a dog (as in eagerness, in pain, or in fear); when used in reference to men, the word often implies a number of short, shrill utterances, especially indicating surprise, fear, or excitement{a . . . huntsman clad for the field, with his fresh pack yelping . . . about him— Dickens
}{the nominations have accordingly furnished something to yelp on— Jefferson
}{"Look out," yelps the crowd and the high walls fall— Lindsay
}Yap comes close to yelp, but it chiefly implies the short, shrill barking of a small dog or excited, staccato sounds that are comparable{half a dozen little yapping dogs . . . assailed me— Braddon
}It may suggest excessive talking that conveys little but is usually uttered in an insistent or offensive and often high-pitched voice.bark n *skin, rind, peel, hide, pelt
New Dictionary of Synonyms. 2014.
