bark at (someone or something)

bark at (someone or something)

1. Literally, of a dog, to make a barking noise at someone or something. The dog is barking at something outside—can you please calm him down?

2. To yell at or speak severely to another person. The science teacher barked at us for not doing our homework.

3. To say or shout something to someone in a harsh, brusque or angry tone. In this usage, a noun or pronoun is used between "bark" and "at." He started barking orders at us as if he were our boss or something.

See also: bark

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

bark at someone or something

Lit. [for a dog] to make a characteristic sharp sound at someone or something. (See also bark at someone.) The dog is barking at the traffic again. Their guard dog was barking at me.

See also: bark

bark at someone

Fig. to speak harshly to someone. Don't bark at me like that over such a trivial mistake! Ken barked at the children for being noisy.

See also: bark

bark something out at someone

 and bark something at someone; bark something to someone; bark something out (to someone)

Fig. to say something harshly to someone. The sergeant barked the orders out at the recruits. He barked an order at his staff. The teacher barked a reprimand out to the class. He barked out the order clearly and loudly.

See also: bark, out

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.