barn [barnbarns] BrE [bɑːn] NAmE [bɑːrn] noun 1. 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). see also ↑Dutch barn 2. a large plain ugly building •They live in a great barn of a house. 3. (NAmE)a building in which buses, trucks, etc. are kept when not being used Idiom: ↑close the barn door after the horse has escaped
Word Origin: Old English bern, berern, from bere ‘barley’ + ern, ærn ‘house’.