barn

noun

ˈbärn 

1

a

: a usually large building for the storage of farm products or feed and usually for the housing of farm animals or farm equipment

b

: an unusually large and usually bare building

a great barn of a hotel

—W. A. White

2

: a large building for the housing of a fleet of vehicles (such as trolley cars or trucks)

barnlike

ˈbärn-ˌlīk 

adjective

barny

ˈbär-nē 

adjective

Examples of barn in a Sentence

They live in a big barn of a house.

Recent Examples on the Web

The girls had minutes to flee before the Morrison Ranch barn was fully engulfed in flames. —Maritza Dominguez, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024

Arlo frustratingly runs away, while Maggie follows James into the barn with the ketamine syringe. —Nick Caruso, TVLine, 31 Oct. 2024

Thompson, who was born into an old Mississippi planter family, grew up only miles from the barn where Emmett Till was tortured and killed. —The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024

Due to lack of use during recent times, the barn needs some repairs to keep it useful as part of Historic Cane Hill's educational and historic preservation programming. —Deb Harvell, arkansasonline.com, 27 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English bern, from Old English bereærn, from bere barley + ærn house, store

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing barn

• barn burner
• barn dance
• barn lot
• barn owl
• barn raising
• barn swallow

Kids Definition

barn

noun

ˈbärn 

: a building used chiefly for storing grain and hay and for housing farm animals or farm equipment

Medical Definition

barn

noun

ˈbärn 

: a unit of area equal to 10⁻²⁴ square centimeters that is used in nuclear physics for measuring cross section