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 new orchards and the old barn help soften the Pentagon vibe with a little farm-to-table ambience. —Literary Hub, 21 Nov. 2025

Next to the barn, there is a holiday shop with a selection of items ideal for the season, like candles, caps, and Polo classics. —Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 17 Nov. 2025

Have a beer by the barn at Buzzards Bay Brewing. —Anna Laird Barto, Travel + Leisure, 17 Nov. 2025

Fire officials did say between 50 and 60 chickens were believed to have been inside the barn, and all are believed to have died in the fire. —Jeramie Bizzle, CBS News, 15 Nov. 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