1
a
: a usually large building for the storage of farm products or feed and usually for the housing of farm animals or farm equipment
b
: an unusually large and usually bare building
… a great barn of a hotel …W. A. White
2
: a large building for the housing of a fleet of vehicles (such as trolley cars or trucks)
barnlike adjective
barny adjective

Examples of barn in a Sentence

They live in a big barn of a house.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The nightcap is set to be a barn-burner between the Wildcats and the Wolverines. Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 4 Apr. 2026 According to locals, the Tschikof family home was a large, yellow farmhouse, with a barn out back and, beyond that, a meadow dotted with mature trees. Simon Akam, Vanity Fair, 2 Apr. 2026 This roomy, lightweight denim barn jacket from Free People is a great pick for transitional weather, in part thanks to the opportunity for easy layering. Annie Blackman, InStyle, 1 Apr. 2026 Mule Alley opened in the summer of 2020 after the Stockyards ownership group spent years converting the historic livestock barns into upscale restaurants, boutiques and bars — with the luxury Hotel Drover as an anchor. Tanya Babbar, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for barn

Word History

Etymology

Middle English bern, from Old English bereærn, from bere barley + ærn house, store

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of barn was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Barn.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/barn. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.

Kids Definition

barn

noun
: a building used chiefly for storing grain and hay and for housing farm animals or farm equipment

Medical Definition

barn

noun
: a unit of area equal to 10−24 square centimeters that is used in nuclear physics for measuring cross section

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