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

After reviewing the farm’s seven commandments printed on the barn wall, students can examine the effects of the slight rewording of each commandment in the light of today’s reinterpretation of the Constitution. —Chicago Tribune, 5 Jan. 2026

Tonight, there’s a group meeting in the reindeer barn. —Lauren Ashley Bishop, Variety, 4 Jan. 2026

Small owls like screech owls often sleep in tree cavities or nest boxes, while barn owls live up to their name by seeking out barns and empty buildings. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 2 Jan. 2026

Still, with the team winning just 28 games combined in its first two seasons, playing in a livestock barn out by the airport, there were questions about whether hockey would take hold in the Bay Area, where the Seals had tried and failed in the 1970s. —Jess Myers, Twin Cities, 31 Dec. 2025

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

Rhymes for barn

• arn
• barne
• carn
• darn
• garn
• karn
• skarn
• yarn

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