barber
barber — noun
1. a person whose work is trimming the hair on men's heads, and often shaving or sh
a person whose work is trimming the hair on men's heads, and often shaving or shaping their beards and moustaches.
Yael visits the same barber on Main Street every three weeks.
go to / visit + the barber
The barber wrapped a warm towel around Mr. Kenji's face before shaving him.
barber as subject of shaving / cutting
After ten years, Citlali finally trained as a barber and opened his own shop.
My grandfather sat down and asked the barber for a short back and sides.
Old Mr. Esposito is the most skilled barber in our small mountain town.
- hairdresser
broader term; cuts and styles for women and men, often in a salon
- stylist
fashion-focused; works on cuts, color, and styling rather than just trimming
- coiffeur
formal / French-flavored; usually for upmarket women's salons
文法句型
a/the barber
go to the barber
用法筆記
Subject is almost always male; in Taiwan and many other places, women's haircuts are usually done by a 'hairdresser' or 'stylist' instead. Often paired with 'go to' or 'visit' rather than 'see'.
常見錯誤
2. the small shop that a barber works in, where men go to get their hair cut. (Ofte
the small shop that a barber works in, where men go to get their hair cut. (Often shortened from 'barber's shop' or 'barber shop'.)
There's a tiny barber on the corner of Elm Street with a striped pole outside.
physical-place noun: 'a barber on/at + location'
Hiro dropped her son off at the barber for his first proper haircut before school.
drop off / pick up + at the barber
The old barber near the train station has been open since 1962.
On Saturday mornings the barber is full of men reading newspapers.
- barber shop
the explicit two-word form, common in American English
- salon
broader term; usually offers coloring and styling, often for women too
文法句型
go to the barber
at the barber
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 (the person): here the noun names a place. In British English the fuller form 'barber's' or 'the barber's' is more common; American English often uses 'barber shop'. Both fit the pattern 'go to the barber'.
常見錯誤
barber — verb
1. to earn a living by giving men haircuts and beard trims; that is, to do the job
to earn a living by giving men haircuts and beard trims; that is, to do the job of a barber.
Mr. Esposito has barbered in this neighborhood for nearly forty years.
intransitive: barber + time / location adverbial
After leaving the navy, Citlali barbered for a living in a small shop on Pine Avenue.
barber for a living
Sofia's grandfather barbered six days a week to support the whole family.
Few young apprentices want to barber these days, the old man complained.
- cut hair
plain, modern phrasing for what a barber does for a living
- work as a barber
the everyday phrase that has replaced this verb in normal speech
文法句型
barber (no object)
用法筆記
Sounds dated and is mostly literary or biographical today; in normal speech people say 'work as a barber' or 'be a barber'. Takes no object — for the object pattern, see verb sense 2.
常見錯誤
2. to give a man a haircut, beard trim, or shave; to tidy up the hair on his head o
to give a man a haircut, beard trim, or shave; to tidy up the hair on his head or face the way a barber would.
Old Mr. Esposito barbered three generations of the Romano family.
transitive: barber + person
Every Sunday Yael was barbered by his uncle in a tiny back room behind the shop.
passive: be barbered by + person
The young soldier sat still while the sergeant barbered his thick black beard.
Sofia watched her father barber the boy's curly hair with quick, careful snips.
- trim
neutral and common; used for slight cuts to hair, beard, or moustache
- cut someone's hair
the everyday phrase; replaces 'barber' in modern speech
- shave
specifically removes facial hair with a blade; narrower than 'barber'
- groom
broader; includes washing, combing, and shaping, not only cutting
- grow out
let hair or a beard get longer instead of cutting it
文法句型
barber + person
barber someone's hair / beard
用法筆記
Mostly found in older novels, memoirs, and historical writing; modern English prefers 'cut [his] hair', 'trim [his] beard', or 'give [him] a haircut'. The passive form ('was barbered by') survives a little longer in literary style. Distinguish from verb sense 1, which is intransitive and means to do the job overall.