barn

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Sports Informal

n. a large, often old or simple sports building or arena.

n. an informal term for a large, cavernous building used for public events, particularly a hockey or basketball arena.

“The local team has played in the same old barn for over fifty years.”

“Despite its lack of modern amenities, the old barn provided an incredibly loud and intimidating atmosphere for visiting teams.”

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Science Technical

n. a very small unit used in science to measure the area of an atom's nucleus.

n. a unit of area, equivalent to 10⁻²⁸ square metres, used to quantify the cross section of atomic nuclei.

“The scientists measured the reaction in barns to understand how the particles collided.”

“The probability of a specific nuclear interaction is expressed as a cross section, typically measured in barns or millibarns.”

C1 · Advanced Cooking Formal

v. to put crops or animals into a barn.

v. to store or house agricultural produce or livestock within a barn structure.

“They worked until dark to barn the last of the hay before the storm.”

“The harvest was successfully barned just as the autumn rains began to saturate the fields.”