barrio

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

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

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Recent Examples of barrio from the Web

On Friday afternoons, however, the parking lot at the Oxxo convenience store in this brutalized barrio buzzes to life.

— joshua partlow, chicagotribune.com, "Acapulco, once Mexico's glamorous resort city, is now its murder capital," 25 Aug. 2017
On Friday afternoons, however, the parking lot at the Oxxo convenience store in this brutalized barrio buzzes to life.

— author: joshua partlow, Alaska Dispatch News, "The once-glamorous resort city of Acapulco is now Mexico’s murder capital," 25 Aug. 2017
Barrios opened his independent vet hospital in 1988.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The East Hartford Edition," 22 Aug. 2017
The package also includes a one-night stay at the Singular Hotel Santiago in Santiago's vibrant Lastarria barrio.

— phil marty, chicagotribune.com, "Trips, Tips & Deals: Sports tours, Cuba travel and Christmas in South America," 5 July 2017
Barrios recorded three assists last week to lead Dallas to a 6-2 win over Real Salt Lake.

— jamie goldberg, OregonLive.com, "Timbers Army unveils tifo in honor of LGBTQ Pride Month," 10 June 2017
Yet no group has been tested quite like Venezuela’s classical musicians, who for years have been drawn from the country’s working-class barrios.

— ana vanessa herrero and nicholas casey, New York Times, "Venezuela Musicians Rise Up After Violist, 18, Is Killed at Protest," 10 June 2017
That’s because this filmic triptych set in the impoverished, drug-dependent barrios of Puerto Rico eschews emotional dimension for visceral actions and thematic wallops.

— gary goldstein, latimes.com, "Grim Puerto Rican drama 'La Granja' keeps audience at a distance," 8 June 2017
Oceanside High is a school hard by a barrio that’s known as gang territory.

— lola sherman seaside musings, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Oceanside High principal looks back on a busy first year," 1 June 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of barrio

Spanish, from Arabic barrī of the open country, from barr outside, open country

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First Known Use: 1833

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