barrack

1 of 3

noun

bar·​rack ˈber-ək 

-ik;

ˈba-rək,

-rik

1

: a building or set of buildings used especially for lodging soldiers in garrison

—usually used in plural

2

a

: a structure resembling a shed or barn that provides temporary housing

—usually used in plural

b

: housing characterized by extreme plainness or dreary uniformity

—usually used in plural

barrack

2 of 3

verb (1)

barracked; barracking; barracks

transitive verb

: to lodge in barracks

barrack

3 of 3

verb (2)

barracked; barracking; barracks

transitive verb

chiefly British

: to shout at derisively or sarcastically

intransitive verb

1

chiefly Australia : root, cheer

—usually used with for

2

chiefly British : jeer, scoff

barracker noun

Examples of barrack in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Male athletes stayed in Royal Air Force barracks, while women were housed in college dormitories. —Tim Genske, Forbes, 8 Sep. 2024

Over time, replicas of the guard tower and the barracks were built to tell the stories of what happened there. —Emilie Ikeda, NBC News, 29 Oct. 2024

Verb

Simone studied Sanskrit, did social outreach with Indo-Chinese factory workers barracked in a prison, and joined a Resistance network. —Judith Thurman, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2024

For New Yorkers barracked in our houses and apartments, or doctors and nurses scrambling for face masks, beseeching a saint to end an epidemic may not sound sufficient. —Jason Farago, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2020

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French baraque hut, from Catalan barraca

Verb (2)

perhaps from dialect (northern Ireland) barrack to brag

First Known Use

Noun

1686, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Verb (1)

1701, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1885, in the meaning defined at transitive sense