: 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
Swap beef for ground chicken or turkey, pattypan squash for zucchini or yellow squash, and white rice for brown rice, quinoa, barley, or faro.
—
Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 24 May 2026
It’s made from 100% malted barley and Rocky Mountain water.
—Joseph V Micallef, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
Drought conditions have worsened the spread of the wheat streak mosaic virus and barley yellow dwarf virus, which impact the potential of the crop.
—ABC News, 20 May 2026
Qianzhi Jiang, PhD, RDN, LDN, notes that other varieties that fall under the whole-grain umbrella include breads made with oats, rye, barley, and quinoa.
—Randi Gollin, Martha Stewart, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for barley
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Mary Shannon Wells, Southern Living, 24 May 2026
It’s made from 100% malted barley and Rocky Mountain water.
—Joseph V Micallef, Forbes.com, 23 May 2026
Drought conditions have worsened the spread of the wheat streak mosaic virus and barley yellow dwarf virus, which impact the potential of the crop.
—ABC News, 20 May 2026
Qianzhi Jiang, PhD, RDN, LDN, notes that other varieties that fall under the whole-grain umbrella include breads made with oats, rye, barley, and quinoa.
—Randi Gollin, Martha Stewart, 19 May 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 29 May. 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
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