barking C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities US /ˈbɑːrkɪŋ/ UK /ˈbɑːkɪŋ/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj making a dog's sharp cry; British slang for mad or crazy You must be barking to swim in that freezing sea. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · making a dog's sharp cry;... yappingbayingmadcrazyinsaneloonydemented ↔ Opposites sane Word family Related forms barkbarker Appears in Idioms (1) See all barking up the wrong tree To pursue a mistaken or misguided line of thought or action. Proverbs (1) See all Barking dogs don't bite Etymology AI details From Old English beorcan ('to bark'), of Germanic origin and probably imitative; the slang sense 'mad' is short for 'barking mad'. beorcan Old English *berkaną Proto-Germanic View etymology graph -> Topics Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives Register & Style External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # barking **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈbɑːrkɪŋ/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈbɑːkɪŋ/ ## Meanings 1. making a dog's sharp cry; British slang for mad or crazy ## Examples - You must be barking to swim in that freezing sea. ## Synonyms - yapping - baying - mad - crazy - insane - loony - demented ## Antonyms - sane ## Related Forms - bark - barker ## Roots and Affixes - Root: beorcan - Root: *berkaną ## Etymology From Old English beorcan ('to bark'), of Germanic origin and probably imitative; the slang sense 'mad' is short for 'barking mad'. ## AI Etymology Barking is from Old English beorcan ('to bark'), of Germanic origin and probably imitative; the slang sense 'mad' is short for 'barking mad'. Important recorded forms include beorcan (Old English) and *berkaną (Proto-Germanic). Its deeper history remains uncertain, with proposed links left as possibilities rather than a single settled derivation. The current sense covers making a dog's sharp cry; British slang for mad or crazy. The wider family includes related words such as bark and barker. ## Topics - Describing Qualities - Word Formation & Derivatives - Register & Style markdown