barrio

noun bar·rio \ ˈbär-ē-ˌō , ˈber- , ˈba-rē- \

|Updated on: 19 Jul 2018

Definition of barrio

plural barrios

1 : a ward, quarter, or district of a city or town in a Spanish-speaking country

2 : a Spanish-speaking quarter or neighborhood in a city or town in the U.S. especially in the Southwest

See barrio defined for English-language learners

See barrio defined for kids

Recent Examples of barrio from the Web

Its production line seemed to be endless, despite a comparative lack of investment, players emerging from the barrios of Buenos Aires to take on the world.

— rory smith, New York Times, "How Argentina Lost Its Way. (Spoiler: It’s Not Messi’s Fault.)," 22 June 2018
Pauline Gasca Valenciano, activist queen of Fort Worth Chicano barrios, left a legacy of civic involvement few in North Texas can match.

— richard j. gonzales, star-telegram, "Fort Worth’s Chicana Queen devoted her life to social justice," 12 June 2018
Barrio Logan MishMash, which opened in the barrio in 2016, serves half-pound all-natural beef burgers with a tall mound of crispy fried onion strings, garlic aioli and even goat cheese stuffing.

— pam kragen, sandiegouniontribune.com, "San Diego's best burgers," 28 May 2018
The Judge was born on the East Side barrio of old Front St. in Hartford.

— courant.com, "Arthur L. Spada," 29 Apr. 2018
Where governmental help felt distant, or even nonexistent, neighbors, churches and local nonprofit organizations pooled their food, clothing and other resources to solve problems in their barrios.

— arelis r. hernández, Washington Post, "Sluggish recovery from Hurricane Maria reignites calls for Puerto Rico’s statehood, independence," 28 Apr. 2018
Colombian guerrillas roam the countryside with impunity while chavista militias rule the barrios.

— mary anastasia o’grady, WSJ, "Venezuela’s Sham Election," 20 May 2018
Davila Marin said, as the septuagenarian sat in a rocking chair staring across rooftops in the Coabey barrio.

— arelis r. hernández, Washington Post, "Sluggish recovery from Hurricane Maria reignites calls for Puerto Rico’s statehood, independence," 28 Apr. 2018
While whimsical Montmartre seduces with its cobblestone streets and hillside views, Buenos Aires’ Recoleta barrio is an equally dazzling alternative to Paris’ arrondissements.

— kristin braswell, ELLE Decor, "Just In: Buenos Aires Is The New Paris," 19 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'barrio.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.