barrio

noun

bar·​rio ˈbär-ē-ˌō 

ˈber-,

ˈba-rē- 

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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

For Alan Matijasevic, 29, and many of his neighbors from Burzaco, a Buenos Aires suburb, El Ciclón is the barrio’s heart. —Juan José Relmucao Anita Pouchard Serra, New York Times, 27 Dec. 2022

Martinez, of Mexico City's notorious Tepito barrio, defended his WBC flyweight world championship against former Spain Olympian Samuel Carmona from the Canary Islands. —José M. Romero, The Arizona Republic, 3 Dec. 2022

Then, Pedro and Anthony performed for the adoring crowd on a mountain top, with a mix of stars and twinkling barrio lights in the backdrop. —Natalie Keyssar, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2022

Ayala grew up in public housing in Villa Kennedy, a barrio in San Juan. —Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 19 Sep. 2022

In late September in El Paso, Texas, residents of the Chamizal barrio and mothers Cemelli de Atzlan and Hilda Villegas held a vigil. —USA Today, 11 Oct. 2022

But Moreno had a hell of a personal story — a Mexican kid from the Tucson barrio who bought a professional sports franchise, nabbed some of the biggest stars in the game (who just happened to be Latino) and succeeded in the national pastime. —Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2022

Valdez, now 67, was among the first to settle in what would become the beach city’s predominately Latino barrio of Oak View. —Priscella Vega, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2022

With dual terraces, barrio lighting, fire pits, and comfortable seating with skyline views, the space is sure to be a watering hole for steak-lovers and wine and cocktail drinkers alike. —Megha Mcswain, Chron, 29 June 2022

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Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1833, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

barrio

noun

bar·​rio ˈbär-ē-ˌō  ˈbar- 

plural barrios

: a neighborhood where most of the people speak Spanish