: a cereal grass (genus Hordeum and especially H. vulgare) having the flowers in dense spikes with long awns and three spikelets at each joint of the rachis
also
: its seed used especially in malt beverages, breakfast foods, and stock feeds
Examples of barley in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But brewing traditional European-style beer was difficult and expensive, because barley for brewing and hops are not native to North America.
—
Jay R. Brooks,
Mercury News,
2 July 2026
According to the Amazon product listing, each gummy is packed with 8 powerful greens, including spinach, wheatgrass and spirulina, plus blue green algae, aloe vera, chlorella and barley grass.
—
Samantha Agate,
Sacbee.com,
24 June 2026
The 10th edition is the first 10-year-old release (and the oldest to date), made from a mash bill of several different types of barley and matured in wine, port, sherry, and ex-bourbon casks, along with the Garry oak.
—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
18 June 2026
Grains like quinoa and barley are good used as a base for a burrito bowl (in place of rice) or a similar bowl.
—
Jennifer Lefton,
Verywell Health,
18 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for barley
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jay R. Brooks,
Mercury News,
2 July 2026
According to the Amazon product listing, each gummy is packed with 8 powerful greens, including spinach, wheatgrass and spirulina, plus blue green algae, aloe vera, chlorella and barley grass.
—
Samantha Agate,
Sacbee.com,
24 June 2026
The 10th edition is the first 10-year-old release (and the oldest to date), made from a mash bill of several different types of barley and matured in wine, port, sherry, and ex-bourbon casks, along with the Garry oak.
—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
18 June 2026
Grains like quinoa and barley are good used as a base for a burrito bowl (in place of rice) or a similar bowl.
—
Jennifer Lefton,
Verywell Health,
18 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for barley
Cite this Entry
“Barley.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/barley. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
barley
noun
bar·ley
ˈbär-lē 
: a cereal grass with flowers in dense spikes
also
: its seed used especially in malt beverages, in foods (as soups and cereals), or as feed for livestock
Medical Definition
barley
noun
bar·ley
ˈbär-lē
: a cereal grass (genus Hordeum, especially H. vulgare) having the flowers in dense spikes with long awns
also
: its seed used in malt beverages and in breakfast foods and stock feeds
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
