barn
gb/bˈɑɹn/ us/bˈɑɹn/
A2
English
~ 9000
pajta, istálló, hodály, barn
NOUN
A2
1
Usage pattern:
a [adjective] barn on [a farm]
They keep the cows in a large barn at the back of the farm.
A teheneket a gazdaság hátsó részén lévő nagy istállóban tartják.
We spent the afternoon stacking hay bales in the barn.
A délutánt azzal töltöttük, hogy szénabálákat pakoltunk a pajtában.
During the storm, the farmer moved all the equipment into the barn.
An old red barn stood in the middle of the field.
The wedding reception was held in a converted barn.
Learner examples
The horses sleep in the barn at night.
A lovak éjszaka az istállóban alszanak.
There is a big red barn near my house.
Van egy nagy piros pajta a házam közelében.
They put the new tractor in the barn.
We saw many cows inside the barn.
The farmer closed the barn door.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'barn' with 'stable'. A 'barn' is a general farm building that can hold animals, crops, and machines, while a 'stable' is mainly for horses.
Meaning
Farm building for animals or crops
Collocations
old barn
|red barn
|dairy barn
|barn door
|inside the barn
|barn roof
Synonyms
farm building (General term; does not specifically suggest animals or storage together the way 'barn' often does.)
|
stable (Usually for horses only, while a barn can hold many types of animals and equipment.)
|
shed (Suggests a smaller, simpler building; a barn is usually larger and more central to the farm.)
Antonyms
open field (Opposite in that it is outdoors with no covered shelter for animals, crops, or equipment.)
Themes
agriculture
|buildings
|rural life
|work
|nature
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A big farm building where animals, crops, or machines are kept.
A large farm building used for housing animals, storing crops like hay or grain, and keeping farm machinery or supplies.
NOUN
B2
2
hodály
B2
Usage pattern:
a barn of a [building/room]
They turned that great barn of a warehouse into a music venue.
Azt a hatalmas, hodályszerű raktárt koncerthelyszínné alakították.
The living room was a barn of a space with high ceilings and bare walls.
A nappali egy hodálynyi tér volt, magas mennyezettel és csupasz falakkal.
He worked in a barn of an office, with only a few desks scattered around.
The school gym is a real barn of a building, cold in winter and boiling in summer.
It was a barn of a hall, and the tiny audience looked lost in it.
Learner examples
Their new living room is a barn of a room.
Az új nappalijuk kész hodály.
He rents a barn of an office in an old factory.
Egy régi gyárban bérel egy hodálynyi irodát.
The party was in a barn of a hall with very high walls.
They practice basketball in a barn of a gym.
To me, the house feels like a barn of a place.
Common mistake:
Learners may think this always means a real farm building. In this sense, 'barn' is used metaphorically to describe any large, plain, often empty building or room.
Meaning
Very large, plain building or room
Collocations
a great barn of a place
|a barn of a hall
|a barn of a house
|huge barn of a warehouse
Synonyms
warehouse (Also a large building, but focuses on storage rather than the awkwardly big, empty feeling.)
|
hangar (Refers specifically to aircraft storage; 'barn' here is more metaphorical and about size and plainness.)
Antonyms
cozy room (Emphasizes warmth and comfort, the opposite feeling of a cold, oversized 'barn' of a room.)
Themes
buildings
|descriptions
|housing
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A very big, simple building or room that feels too large or empty.
A very large, usually plain and echoing building or room, especially one that feels too big or empty for its purpose.
NOUN
C1
TECHNICAL
3
barn
C2
Usage pattern:
[measurement] barns
The neutron capture cross section is about one barn at this energy.
A neutronbefogási hatáskeresztmetszet ezen az energián körülbelül egy barn.
Reaction probabilities are often given in units of barns or millibarns.
A reakcióvalószínűségeket gyakran barnban vagy millibarnban adják meg.
In nuclear physics, a barn represents 10⁻²⁸ square meters of effective area.
They reported a scattering cross section of several hundred barns.
At low energies, the cross section can reach thousands of barns.
Learner examples
In nuclear physics, area is sometimes measured in barns.
A magfizikában a területet néha barnban mérik.
One barn is a very, very small area.
Egy barn nagyon-nagyon kicsi területnek felel meg.
The scientist wrote that the cross section was two barns.
The table shows the values in barns and millibarns.
Students learn that a barn is 10 to the minus 28 square meters.
Common mistake:
Learners may think this has something to do with farms because of the everyday meaning of 'barn'. In physics, it is only a name for a very small unit of area and is not related to buildings.
Meaning
Physics unit of nuclear area
Collocations
measured in barns
|cross section in barns
|a few barns
|millibarn
|microbarn
Synonyms
unit of area (General description; lacks the specific size and nuclear-physics context of 'barn'.)
Antonyms
square meter (A standard SI unit; contrasts with the much smaller, specialized 'barn' used only in nuclear physics.)
Themes
science
|physics
Definition
A very small unit for area in nuclear physics, used to say how big a nucleus or particle looks when another particle hits it.
A unit of area equal to 10⁻²⁸ square meters, used in nuclear and particle physics to express the effective cross-sectional area of atomic nuclei and particles.
Grammar
Dictionary form
barn
IPA
GB/bˈɑɹn/
US/bˈɑɹn/
Syllables & stress
barn (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (barn)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: barn
- Plural: barns
Word family
Forms
barns
noun
Related words
barnyard
noun
Expressions
barn burner
1/bˈɑɹn bˈɚnɚ/
idiom
informal
Very exciting event or game
A very exciting game, race, or other event, usually because it is very close or intense.
Examples
- The game turned into a real barn burner in the final quarter.
- Commentators called it a barn burner after three lead changes in the last minute.
- The election was a barn burner, with both candidates neck and neck until the end.
barn dance
1/bˈɑɹn dˈæns/
fixed phrase
Social dance in a barn
A social dance party, often with country or folk music, usually held in a barn or a place like a barn.
Examples
- They met at a barn dance in the countryside.
- The festival ended with a lively barn dance and live folk music.
- Every summer the town organizes a barn dance to raise money for charity.
big as a barn
1/bˈɪɡ ˈæz ə bˈɑɹn/
idiom
informal
Extremely large in size
Very large in size, often used in a joking or unkind way.
Examples
- That truck is big as a barn.
- The dog used to be tiny, but now he's big as a barn.
- He felt big as a barn in his tight new suit.
born in a barn
1/bˈɔɹn ˈɪn ə bˈɑɹn/
idiom
informal
Have very bad manners
To seem to have very bad manners, for example leaving doors open or making a mess.
Examples
- He eats with his mouth open like he was born in a barn.
- Close the door; you act like you were born in a barn.
- My grandma used to say I must have been born in a barn whenever I left muddy shoes in the hallway.
couldn't hit the broad side of a barn
1/kˈʊdənt hˈɪt ðə bɹˈɔd sˈaɪd əv ə bˈɑɹn/
idiom
informal
Be very bad at aiming
To be very bad at hitting a target, especially in sports or shooting.
Examples
- When it comes to basketball, I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn.
- The rookie pitcher couldn't hit the broad side of a barn that night.
- He joked that their strikers couldn't hit the broad side of a barn in the first half.
like shutting the barn door after the horse has bolted
1/lˈaɪk ʃˈʌtɪŋ ðə bˈɑɹn dˈɔɹ ˈæftɚ ðə hˈɔɹs hˈæz bˈoʊltɪd/
idiom
informal
Taking action too late
To do something to stop a problem, but only after the problem has already happened, so it is too late.
Examples
- Adding security cameras now is like shutting the barn door after the horse has bolted.
- Apologizing after months of silence felt like closing the barn door after the horse had bolted.
- New rules after the scandal seemed like shutting the barn door after the horse has bolted.
were you born in a barn?
1/wɚ jˈu bˈɔɹn ˈɪn ə bˈɑɹn ‖/
idiom
informal
Rebuke someone for bad manners
Something you say to someone, often joking, when they leave a door open or do something rude or messy.
Examples
- "Were you born in a barn?" his mom shouted when he walked in and left the door wide open.
- Dad called from the kitchen, "Hey, were you born in a barn? Close the fridge!"
- She laughed and said, "Were you born in a barn?" when he tracked mud across the clean floor.