barn

UK /bɑːn/ US /bɑːrn/ Syllables: barn

Pronunciation

Noun A1 Beginner Neutral

A large building on a farm used to store crops or keep animals.

A barn is a large building on a farm, used to store crops such as hay and grain or to keep animals such as cows and horses. A traditional barn is made of wood and has big doors for tractors and carts. Some old barns have been turned into homes or event halls. A barn can be red or gray, and many people think of one as a symbol of country life. A barn dance is a lively party with country music and dancing.

"The farmer kept the horses in the barn overnight."

Example sentences

"The farmer kept the hay in the barn."

Level A1
"A barn owl lives in the old barn."

Level A2
"The children played in the red barn."

Level A1
"The horses sleep inside the barn at night."

Level A1

Look-alikes and common mistakes

shed : A shed is a small building for tools or storage. A barn is much larger, for crops or animals.
stable : A stable is a building for horses. A barn can house many kinds of animals and crops.

Word family and forms

Forms: barns

barn dance barnyard barn owl barnstorm

Word partners

Words and phrases that often go with "barn".

a red barn
an old barn
a barn dance
a barn owl
behind the barn
a hay barn

Origin

Barn comes from Old English bern, a short form of the older word berern, which joined bere, meaning barley, and ern, meaning a house. So a barn was first a barley house. The word was in English before the year 950.

Checked against: Wiktionary, the free dictionary, Dictionary.com.

How to remember it

Barn is the place where barley and grain are kept. The word began as a barley house.

Test yourself

Which word fits the gap? "The farmer kept the hay in the _____."

Answer: barn

In your own words, what does "barn" mean?