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 adjective
barny adjective

Examples of barn in a Sentence

They live in a big barn of a house.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The barn, about 50 meters from where the bomb dropped on his farm, is visible on Google maps. Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026 Westchester Public Library got the green light from Chesterton’s Board of Zoning Appeals to proceed with plans to restore Brown Mansion and to move the museum into a new barn-like structure. Jim Woods, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026 When the combine rolled onto the alfalfa field, horses did not see the writing on the barn wall and start applying for factory jobs. Annie Lowrey, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026 The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium said the calf stood, took early steps, and began nursing shortly after birth and is now acclimating to his surroundings in the giraffe barn. Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for barn

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of barn was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Barn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/barn. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.

Kids Definition

barn

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

Medical Definition

barn

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

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