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

Formerly operated by Rink Management Services, the new barns represent SFC’s deeper investment into ice hockey after the firm purchased Firland Management, a longtime operator of hockey and skating rinks, in September. —Jason Clinkscales, Sportico.com, 22 May 2025

The bakers began developing a business plan as the wholesale customer base began to grow, and in September 2024, moved into the Route 109 barn and opened Penny Farthing. —Emily M. Olson, Hartford Courant, 20 May 2025

His relative was lying dead on the floor of the barn, a pool of blood surrounding his chest. —Nicolas Niarchos, New Yorker, 19 May 2025

His son’s gray Toyota Tundra pickup, which had been parked in the barn, had a chunk of the roof on its hood and the windshield was smashed. —Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 19 May 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