ENGLISH
REFERENCE

barrack

n. countable
C2 Proficiency US //ˈbæɹək// UK //bˈæɹək// bar·rack Informal

n. a building where soldiers live. It is usually a large, simple house with many rooms for a group of people.

n. a building or group of buildings for the accommodation of soldiers. Often used in the plural to refer to the entire complex.


SIMPLE

The soldiers live in a large barrack near the base.

CONTEXTUAL

After the long march, the recruits were exhausted and relieved to finally reach the barracks for the night.

COMPLEX

The historic barracks, originally constructed in the mid-nineteenth century, have been converted into luxury apartments while retaining their original architectural features.

Synonyms
Origin

Borrowed from French baraque, from Spanish barraca or Catalan barraca, which is of uncertain origin. It is probably either a diminutive of Vulgar Latin barra (“bar”), of unclear origin, or a diminutive of Vulgar Latin barrum (“clay, mud”) from Celtiberian or Paleo-Hispanic.

© 2026 English Reference