- a large farm building for storing grain or keeping animals in
- a hay barn
- They live in a converted barn (= a barn that has been turned into a house).
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- a large plain ugly building
- They live in a great barn of a house.
- (North American English) a building in which buses, trucks, etc. are kept when not being usedTopics Buildingsc1
Word OriginOld English bern, berern, from bere ‘barley’ + ern, ærn ‘house’.
Idioms
See barn in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionaryclose, lock, etc. the barn door after the horse has escaped (North American English)
(British English close, lock, etc. the stable door after the horse has bolted)
- to try to prevent or avoid loss or damage when it is already too late to do so
Check pronunciation:
barn