barrack

1 of 3

noun

bar·​rack ˈber-ək How to pronounce barrack (audio)
-ik;
ˈba-rək,
-rik
1
: a building or set of buildings used especially for lodging soldiers in garrison
usually used in plural
2
a
: a structure resembling a shed or barn that provides temporary housing
usually used in plural
b
: housing characterized by extreme plainness or dreary uniformity
usually used in plural

barrack

2 of 3

verb (1)

barracked; barracking; barracks

transitive verb

: to lodge in barracks

barrack

3 of 3

verb (2)

barracked; barracking; barracks

transitive verb

chiefly British
: to shout at derisively or sarcastically

intransitive verb

1
chiefly Australia : root, cheer
usually used with for
2
chiefly British : jeer, scoff
barracker noun

Examples of barrack in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
But a court returned it to the last holders of the painting, the family of the caretaker of a German army barracks who had lived in Munich in 1945. Catherine Hickley, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2023 And their large blast radius can still cause much chaos and destruction on Ukrainian border communities, barracks, and forward command posts, as well as disrupt ground forces massing for an attack. Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 1 Sep. 2023 The luxurious Inn at Diamond Cove also served as a military barracks. Christopher Muther, BostonGlobe.com, 13 July 2023 Maryland State Police said in a statement that just before 10:55 p.m. Friday, two troopers from the Leonardtown barrack responded to a home in the 44000 block of West Mervell Court in Hollywood, Md., for a report of a possibly suicidal person. Omari Daniels, Washington Post, 21 Aug. 2023 There the Nazis separated the Jewish American soldiers and put them into segregated barracks where lice crawled on the mattresses and they were given starvation rations. Richard Hurowitz, Time, 19 Aug. 2023 The next day, military police at Camp Pendleton found the girl in a barracks. Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Aug. 2023 At Camp Bondsteel, the family slept first in a large tent with other evacuees, then moved to permanent barracks – a separate section for men, another for the women. USA TODAY, 13 Aug. 2023 The Marine was released back to his military command after police questioned him about the formerly missing girl, 14, who was found in his barracks at Camp Pendleton in California on June 28. Rebekah Riess, CNN, 12 Aug. 2023
Verb
For New Yorkers barracked in our houses and apartments, or doctors and nurses scrambling for face masks, beseeching a saint to end an epidemic may not sound sufficient. Jason Farago, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2020 Army barracks torn down, new housing to come The Glendale campus was originally a U.S. Army air-training base for World War II. Jen Fifield, azcentral, 16 June 2019 Some 200 people were quickly evacuated from campgrounds in the fire's path in addition to 80 children who were trapped in a camp barracks Saturday. CBS News, 10 July 2017 The Marine veteran used some of his time while in the Wounded Warrior barracks to take writing, filmmaking and business classes, with an eye toward this future. Jeanette Steele, sandiegouniontribune.com, 22 June 2017 The military would not permit reporters to wait near the gate to the prison barracks complex. Charlie Savage, New York Times, 16 May 2017 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'barrack.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French baraque hut, from Catalan barraca

Verb (2)

perhaps from dialect (northern Ireland) barrack to brag

First Known Use

Noun

1686, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Verb (1)

1701, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1885, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of barrack was in 1686

Dictionary Entries Near barrack

Cite this Entry

“Barrack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/barrack. Accessed 21 Sep. 2023.

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